7 Reasons Why Employees Quit and How to Prevent It

A determined, motivated and well-trained employees is a key to a successful business. This is why every time a great employee leaves, the company may experience a significant loss because they have invested much of their time and other resources in them. There are many reasons why employees quit. Some of them leave because of health issues or some other unavoidable reasons; however, there are those who leave by their own accord. While sometimes you cannot do anything to stop them from leaving, in most cases there are ways you can help employees find the solution to the challenges they are facing and make them stay in the company for many years to come.

Here are some of the most common reasons why employees decide to quit their job:

The Work Is Not Challenging Enough

No one wants to get bored at work. For an employee to be able to show their maximum potential they need to understand the real value of the work they do and enjoy their job on a daily basis. It’s common knowledge that people spend two-thirds of their life at work. Can you imagine spending so much time doing something you don’t find inspiring?

Solution: Help your employees find their passion. To find out why great employees quit, work closely with employees who can keep track of how your employees feel and what they think at work and whether they are challenged enough to contribute to the company and help it grow. Talk to your employees about what kind of job really excites them and what can help them move forward and grow both on a professional and personal level.

Lack of Constructive Feedback

One of the top reasons why employees quit is a lack of recognition. Your employees cannot know whether they are doing things right if you take their efforts for granted. They need to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses so that they would know they are on the right track.

Solution: The easiest and probably the most constructive way to overcome this problem is to track the problems and challenges your employees face daily and then organise daily 1 on 1 meetings where you can give them your feedback on their overall performance. In this way, you encourage them and let them know what they can do to improve and become the best version of themselves.

Not Understanding the Organisation’s Goals

You cannot expect your employees to do their best work if they don’t understand the value they bring to the company. An employee who doesn’t have a clear view of the company’s goals will not be driven enough to show his or her true potential and bring positive results in the long run. So, this is another reason why employees quit.

Solution: To prevent this from happening, you need to help them realise the ultimate goals your company is striving for as well as how they can benefit from them. Once your employees realise that their work is meaningful and that their efforts, dedication and determination do make a difference, they will be more encouraged to invest much of their time into achieving success. One way to do this is to organise meetings where you would present them your company’s vision and mission in detail.

Bad Communication

Wondering why great employees quit? A good employee who decides to leave the company is also the result of poor communication. Effective and regular communication is critical for reaching success. While employees who are not satisfied with some work conditions may bring the issue that bothers them to the attention by talking to a manager, if the manager shows no interest into the matter, an employee may shut down and decide to escape untenable situation.

Solution: If you want your employees to feel they are being heard, you need to nurture an open culture where everyone would feel free enough to express how they feel and unleash their creative powers. By encouraging your employees to speak openly about the things that bother them, you will create solid grounds for reaching positive results on projects and make people feel at their best at work.

Working Overtime

Being unable to handle too much work during their work hours is one of the top reasons why employees quit. If your employees are overwhelmed with a heavy workload and don’t see any solution to this problem, they may experience burnout which can then reflect on their both professional and personal life. This is when they decide to resign and look for new, better job opportunities.

Solution: To prevent this from happening, you need to pay additional attention to the amount of work each employee has and then delegate tasks properly so that everyone on the team is satisfied. You may even consider employing a new person if you believe that this would help employees shine.

Lack of Career Guidance

Once a new employee enters a company, he or she has to fit into a new culture and seek opportunities that would help them move up their career ladder. However, often employees are not sure what career path they want to take, and then they keep wondering and sometimes make wrong decisions that further have a bad impact on their performance.

Solution: In this case, they should have a designated person (like a team lead) who will keep track of their success, and see where they can additionally develop their skills so that they can advance in their career. Also, to find out what your employees are really good at, you need to organise occasional one-on-one meetings where you would ask them about potential challenges they are facing, offer help or assistance and discuss ways how to overcome any obstacles on their way to success.

Inflexible Work Policies

With the pandemic taking the world by storm, flexible scheduling and telecommuting is becoming more and more common. Flexible working time and possibility to work remotely have become so prevalent that they are becoming an expectation. With this in mind, a company’s policy must not be too rigid as it will turn people away and make them want to search for better opportunities.

Solution: You need to give people enough space to breathe to show their true talent and spend enough time with their families. To help them feel at their best, you need to pay particular attention to their work-life balance. When employees have a greater sense of control over their both personal and professional life, they tend to have a better relationship with their managers and feel less stressed-out at work, which increases their productivity and significantly reduces the number of conflicts.

So, there you have it - some of the top reasons why employees quit their jobs today.

Wrap Up

In today’s fast-paced ever-changing world, keeping efficient, reliable and productive employees is imperative. Although there are multiple reasons why employees quit their jobs, there is (almost) always a way to encourage them to see the bright side of it and change their mind. By investing in your workforce, you are investing in your company and creating a culture where everyone is given a chance to thrive.