There are countless reasons why employees leave their companies. Regardless of the cause, I find that how employees felt about their situation at work played a key role in their decision to leave. Let’s talk about the case of these individuals we shall hide under pseudonyms.
Elizabeth worked hard to meet both her targets and her boss’s expectations. But she felt the line between work and her personal life had already blurred. She would get calls from her manager about work on her days off and even when she was on leave. She felt her manager did not respect her personal boundaries. Soon her drive to perform waned and eventually, she quit.
When Beatriz took on a new role at her workplace, she did not expect her workload to multiply beyond her control. She put in long hours at work which affected her health. When she mentioned that leaving had entered her mind, her boss told her to take some time off to rest and think it over. When she was about to return to work, she was shocked to be told that she was no longer needed. While she was able to leave, this arbitrary treatment reeked of lack of respect towards her right to due process in resignations.
As an executive’s direct report, Alice felt troubled when she was placed under a supervisor. Used to having direct access to the executive, Alice feIt she was relegated to a diminished role. She felt dejected that her boss did not give her open and honest feedback about her performance. It would have given her the opportunity to level up and do better, if indeed that was the issue. But the lack of clear communication not only hurt her feelings, it also zapped her motivation at work. She’s still hanging on but I hope her circumstances improve.
When Annie had to enforce the ‘return to office’ (RTO) order, her teammates were quite unhappy with it. She became fodder for negative talk by those disgruntled at having to stop WFH. This spilled over to the company’s leadership survey where she received low points from her team. To her disappointment, Annie’s boss took this against her. She felt it was not fair for her boss to call her out for being ‘’unpopular’’ when she earned this from enforcing company policy. Talk about doing your job and getting burned in the process. She’s pleased to have moved on from that company.
When I worked in this government agency, I found the environment to be a total departure from the corporate culture I was used to. Being vocal and challenging the status quo was frowned upon, so I felt stifled. I also felt frustrated, disappointed, and at times disgusted. I’m sure not all agencies are like this. But when I started feeling sick on Sundays at the thought of going to the office the next day, I knew I had to leave.
So it’s more than just fair wages, good benefits, and career growth that can keep employees from leaving. If they do not feel valued and respected, their morale takes a hit. Soon engagement will falter, pulling down productivity and efficiency.This is a sure-fire way to make the company flounder in its efforts to achieve success. Because at the end of the day, a company is only as good as the people it keeps.
