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Why Do My Good Employees Keep Leaving?

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Why Do My Good Employees Keep Leaving?


When a top employee leaves, it causes a ripple effect across your entire organization. Morale takes a hit; productivity sinks and core staff are loaded down with additional work to cover the gap.

If this is happening on a regular basis, it’s a difficult and expensive trend, one you need to turn around. But before you can do that, you need to understand why employees are leaving in the first place. Here are a few common reasons:

They are bored.

When employees are in the same role, year after year, without advancing their skills or careers, they’re going to grow bored over time. This lack of engagement leads to a high level of turnover as they move to companies where they feel more connected.

They are working under weak managers.

Many times, individuals get promoted to a management role due to their technical abilities. However, once they’re managing a team, it’s their interpersonal skills that become critical. If they’re not properly trained in leadership, this can translate into management mistakes, an unhappy team and higher turnover. It is why, before you promote employees to leadership positions, you need to ensure they have the right personality and training for the role.

They don’t have room to grow.

Employees, over time, will want to expand their knowledge base, take on new assignments and advance their careers. If there aren’t any opportunities to do that at your organization, they will look for a company that offers them a leg up. So create avenues for advancement for employees to learn, grow and get ahead in their careers.

There is no flexibility.

If your workplace is rigid, it’s going to lead to turnover. Today’s workers want flexibility in their life. It’s why you must pay attention to work-life balance and make sure your employees are maintaining a healthy one. This can include anything from offering the ability to telecommute to setting their own, more flexible hours. It can also include small perks, like buying lunch for employees or bringing in coffee.

You are not checking in.

If you simply rely on the end-of-year performance reviews to monitor employee satisfaction, then you’re missing out on opportunities to find out when things get off track. Instead, check in regularly, talking to your employees about their issues and concerns. This will help you identify a problem before it escalates and leads to turnover.

You are not clear about your vision or expectations.

Employees want to understand the big-picture vision of the organization, as well as how their work contributes to it all. They also want to know what you expect on both a short- and long-term basis. If these messages are confusing or unclear in any way, employees will flail and fail, leading to unhappiness at work. Instead, make sure you have a clearly defined mission, as well as goals and expectations for each employee.

Do you need help improving retention on your team?

It starts with hiring the right-fit people and Gill Staffing can help. As one of Grand Rapids’ top staffing agencies, we know how to find and screen candidates who will be an excellent match for your company and its culture. You’ll have an easier time retaining them, building a stronger, more loyal team in the process. If you would like to learn more, contact us today!