8 Frustrating Reasons Good Employees Quit Their Jobs — That Have Nothing To Do With The Work
Managers need to understand the real reasons their employees quit.
Karolina Grabowska / Pexels Leadership coach Phillip M. Holmes uses his social media platform to educate bosses on how to be effective in their roles. He explains that strong management skills are an essential part of any professional team, as leaders set the tone for their work environment.
Holmes lifted the veil on the real reasons people leave their jobs, which have less to do with the job itself and more to do with how workers are treated by management.
Here are 8 frustrating reasons that good employees quit their jobs that have nothing to do with the work:
1. Micromanagement
Every worker knows the signs of a micromanaging boss: They obsess over details and need to have a say in everything you’re doing.
However, being a micromanager can have a detrimental effect on employees and the company as a whole. Research has shown that micromanaging is one of the top three reasons employees leave their jobs.
Micromanaging sets employees on edge and can lead to high employee turnover.
A career strategist named Tessa White offered valuable insight into another way that micromanaging negatively impacts a team.
White believes that being a micromanaging boss hides the potential of the people working for you.
“When you micromanage your people, it’s like throwing dirt on a diamond. [It] just covers it up,” she exclaimed.
Giving employees space to bring their best selves to the job inspires people and creates an atmosphere where people want to do great work.
2. Ignored feedback
Another major reason workers leave their places of employment has to do with communication, or a lack thereof. When employees offer feedback to a manager, they do so hoping to effect some sort of change within the workplace.
Yet when managers ignore suggestions, workers feel like they’re not heard or valued and might seek out a position where they feel supported.
3. Harsh criticism
According to The Gottman Institute, there are major differences between criticism and critique.
Offering critique or voicing a complaint about an employee means that a manager is focusing on a particular issue they want handled differently. Being criticized has more negative connotations and can often feel like an attack on the person as a whole, which can then make people react defensively.
Photo: Yan Krukau / Pexels
There’s only so much negativity a person can take before it wears on their mental health, which is why repeated harsh criticism leads to people leaving their jobs.
4. Stolen credit
A huge part of fostering an equitable workplace requires giving credit where credit is due. When a boss passes off an employee’s work as their own, it causes direct harm to the person who actually did the work.
Not having work credited properly can hold people back, as they’re likely to get passed over for promotions and performance-based raises.
If a boss is stealing credit from the people under them, it’s only a matter of time before those people take their skills elsewhere.
5. Unrewarded effort
People react well to having their efforts recognized. Hard work is a point of pride, yet when it goes unnoticed, employees might start to lose their steam or wonder why they’re even trying so hard in the first place.
Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels
Positive affirmation in the workplace goes a long way to retaining the people there.
6. Favoritism and bias
Playing favorites is never a good look, especially in a manager.
When bosses show bias for one employee over another, that favoritism is bound to negatively affect the team’s morale and general attitude toward their jobs.
7. Big egos
Navigating someone else’s oversized ego is never fun or easy, especially if that someone is your boss. Behavior like bragging is a pervasive form of self-aggrandizement, something that's actually rooted in insecurity.
When people are confident in themselves, they do not need to show off. A manager with a big ego is likely to frustrate their team members and possibly even drive them away.
8. Poor communication
Maintaining open lines of communication is essential to any well-functioning team.
Strong managers know just how valuable direct communication is. When a manager clearly expresses expectations to their employees, those employees then know how to meet the established goals. When a manager is indirect or indecisive, the harder it is for people to work effectively.
Employee retention is essential for workplace morale.
“Leaders face a crucial challenge: To cultivate an environment where your employees thrive, not just survive,” Holmes explained. “The strength of a team lies in its leadership’s ability to inspire and support, not just direct.”
In order for companies to retain employees, managers have to operate from a place of respect and understanding while letting their workers know that they’re valued where they are.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.