A common reason good employees leave is due to inefficient or unskilled management. All employees want others to hear and value their opinions, and they can become frustrated if their managers or company leaders are not open to their input.
The reason people may want to quit has everything to do with their relationship with their bosses. One study found that nearly half of employees surveyed had quit because of a bad manager, and almost two-thirds believed their manager lacked proper managerial training.
They become bored and disengaged. Eventually, they will leave the company in search of someplace else where they could be 'utilized' to the fullest. If you are a manager or a team leader, you'll discover that your high performers particularly crave and value feedback.
Systems and processes – the most likely culprits
Remember, if you put a good employee into a broken system, the system will drag the employee down every time. Most often, you'll find that something in the environment has changed – and it will usually involve a process, technology or the work group.
When passionate employees become quiet, according to Tim McClure, it usually sends a signal that the work environment has become very dysfunctional. Suspicion and insecurity clouds the culture and employees retreat into self-protection behavior patterns to protect themselves from the forces within the company.
Every company wants to hold onto their best talent for as long as possible, yet top performing employees are often one of the first to quit. This is costly and disruptive to the organization and affects the people on their teams as well.
The best-case scenario—and honestly, the most common reaction—is that your boss will accept your resignation with understanding and sincere congratulations. Your manager will be happy to see that you're advancing your career and moving on to something bigger and better.
Acknowledge the emotion: When a key employee leaves the organization, it can be met with a lot of emotion from others within the company. Don't ignore the emotional impact of the news. Be sympathetic to your employees and listen to them if they need to talk about their feelings.
"I'm sad to see you leave but happy that you're following your dream. You've been an excellent employee over the years. I've really valued our collaborations and am really proud of what you and your team have accomplished. I wish you luck at every point in the round from here."
A high performer is an individual who consistently produces superior results in their field or area of expertise. They're often seen as the “go-to” person by their peers and superiors and are typically rewarded with greater opportunities and responsibilities.
Depending on their emotional state at the time of your conversation, your manager may become immediately upset, or even furious that you are resigning. They may feel a sense of betrayal, as well as anxiety about how they will manage the workload without you.
Quiet quitting doesn't actually refer to quitting a job—it means completing one's minimum work requirements without going above and beyond or bringing work home after hours.
Some business-related issues that can cause a good employee to quit include: Low pay. Lack of recognition and/or respect. Insufficient work-life balance.
Attrition refers to employees who leave their jobs due to normal life circumstances; turnover refers to people who quit their jobs because they don't like them.
A true key employee has three critical qualities. He or she has a direct and significant impact on the value of the business. The employee's role in the company, responsibilities and decisions impact sales, profitability, growth, product development or another critical value driver in the business.
Rehiring former employees could help improve company morale by showing current employees that your company is a great place to work. If it wasn't, why would former employees want to come back? Plus, employees make friends with their coworkers, so rehiring someone who is well-liked could improve the mood at the office.
A toxic boss is a manager who demoralizes and damages the people underneath them. Their repeated, disruptive behavior drives employees to become disengaged, diminishes their sense of belonging, and takes away their autonomy and sense of purpose—all of which are vital for thriving at work.
Loss of your skills. Occasionally, a manager might react poorly because they want you to stay in your position. You may have skills and experience they find valuable for performance or efficiency, and the idea of replacing you is inconvenient.
Throughout 2021, an average of 3.98 million people quit their jobs every single month. The month with the most resignations was November, with 4.5 million people leaving their jobs, while January had the least number of resignations at 3.3 million.
The typical employee stays at a job for just over four years, according to a 2020 study from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics . The study found that these numbers apply to both men and women and that older employees typically have longer tenure at a company than their younger counterparts.
Let's be honest: Losing a great employee hurts. It costs your organization in recruitment, hiring, institutional knowledge and customer relationships. But it also creates emotional and personal challenges within teams as well. Team morale can suffer, along with productivity and increased confusion about roles.