Five Principle Reasons
People Change Jobs
by The Herman Group
- It doesn't feel good around here. This is a corporate culture issue
in most cases. Workers are also concerned with the company's reputation; the
physical conditions of comfort, convenience, and safety, and the clarity of
mission.
- They wouldn't miss me if I were gone. Even though leaders do value
employees, they don't tell them often enough. If people don't feel
important, they're not motivated to stay. No one wants to be a commodity,
easily replaced by someone off the street. If they are regarded as
expendable, they'll leave for a position where they're appreciated.
- I don't get the support I need to get my job done. Contrary to
opinions heard all-too-often from management, people really do want to do a
good job. When they're frustrated by too many rules, red tape, or
incompetent supervisors or co-workers, people look for other opportunities.
- There's no opportunity for advancement. No, we're not talking about
promotions, although many deserving people would like to move up. The issue
here is learning. People want to learn, to sharpen their skills and pick-up
new ones. They want to improve their capacity to perform a wide variety of
jobs. Call it career security. The desire is for training and development.
If workers can't find the growth opportunities with one company, they'll
seek another employer where they can learn.
- Compensation is the last reason people most leave. That's a brash
statement, but it's true. Workers want fair compensation, but the first four
aspects must be strong. If they're not, but money's high, you'll hear people
say "you can't pay me enough to stay here." Even with these values
in place, there are a lot of employees who feel they can better themselves
just by chasing more income.
From Keeping Good People, by Roger E. Herman, CSP, CMC. (Oakhill
Press, 1999). This 400+ page book is available on Amazon.com |