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Why Do Good Employee's Leave?
by Martin Day
Published on this site: April 28th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Loosing good employees is not only an expense in terms of
time, effort and the associated cost of finding a suitable
replacement but also in the untold cost of loosing valuable
knowledge and experience that is unique to the organization;
Loosing good employees is a problem where prevention is most
definitely the best cure.
It is inevitable that employees will leave from time to time
but a good employer will want to know why an employee has
decided to leave to ensure that personnel are leaving for
the right, and not the wrong, reasons.
Concerns of employees can be identified early by the regular
use of well designed employee satisfaction surveys, allowing
for problems to be resolved and helping to minimize needless
loss of staff. However, some problems, especially those that
involve personalities, are not always brought to the surface
until it is too late.
There are two very common reasons for employee dissatisfaction
that can often result in personnel deciding to change jobs,
a lack of career development and/or poor management. Both
of these problems can be difficult to identify even for organizations
that adopt regular 360 degree assessments (i.e. where as part
of the overall appraisal system, employees evaluate their
managers).
While employed employees can be reluctant to criticize their
managers for fear of the consequences, they can however be
more candid when completing an exit survey.
Although adopting exit surveys many not prevent individuals
from leaving it will help bring to the surface problems that
could, if left unchecked, result in poor staff moral for the
remaining staff and worse case scenario, a flood of resignations.
Lack of Career Development
Not all employers can offer, and nor do all employees
desire, a clear and long term career path. There are just
as many people that find comfort and security in doing one
job well as there are there are people that need to feel that
they are continual being challenged, learning new skills and
moving onwards and upwards with respect to the corporate ladder.
For organizations to succeed and excel they need the high
flyers as well as the steady Eddies of the world
Where losses due to a lack of career development are occasional
they may also be inevitable, but where they are frequent,
then changes to the organizational structure might need to
be considered to allow for greater career development of the
employees.
Poor Management
Many managers achieved their position through promotion,
but it does not always follow that a good worker will automatically
make a good manager and often people are assigned management
position without any formal management training.
Poor managers can be quick to discredit the views of disgruntled
staff, 'I was thinking of getting rid of them anyway' and
'they were a waste of space' are typical responses to being
asked if there is a problem causing people to leave an organization.
It is proper and natural for senior management to support
their line managers by giving them the benefit of any doubt,
after all a good managers can always be slighted by poor employees.
But by conducting exit surveys, if a man-management problem
were to be identified early there is a good chance that it
can be addressed and resolved with the appropriate formal
training and guidance.
Records
It is not uncommon for people to leave an employer and
at a later date put in a claim for constructive dismissal.
With 'No win no fee' legal representation this has become
a real problem for even good employers. Exit surveys will
at best, provide a valuable record of the employee's reasons
for leaving, and at worse, provide early warning that a possible
claim might be expected.
Unless it is on record a tribunal will not necessarily accept
an employer's word that when an employee left they did so
without indicating any grievance.
When to conduct an exit survey
Exit surveys can be conducted as part of the termination
procedures or they can, with the employee's agreement, be
delayed for a few months.
The advantage with delaying an exit survey for a few months
is that after a period of reflection a former employee can
be less emotional and more objective and if they have taken
up another position they may be in a position to compare their
previous role with their new role.
The advantages with conducting an exit survey as part of the
termination procedure is that although emotions may be running
high it is probably more reflective of the employee's state
of mind and therefore closer to the reasons they have decided to leave (justified or otherwise). If left
until later any comparison between their old and new roles
may be the result of them putting on a brave face, and if
reasons are given that require action, the delay may well
hinder the problem from being resolved.
Summary
Organizations will generally benefit in a number of different
ways by including exit surveys as part of their employee termination
procedures. They will at the very least provide good records
that could prove very valuable later, at best they will provide
management with information that can help improve an organization
spiritually and with the bottom line.
For a sample Exit survey:
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1165
Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a website
that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys
and questionnaires. Martin has provided both business and
survey consultancy to a number of organization. For more information
please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com
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