Good Employees Who Are Over It Often Quit For 8 Reasons That Have Nothing To Do With Work
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock 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 essential to any professional team because leaders set the tone for the work environment.
Holmes lifted the veil on the real reasons people leave their jobs: they have less to do with the job itself and more to do with how management treats workers.
Good employees often quit for these reasons:
1. Micromanagement
Every worker knows the signs of a micromanaging boss: they obsess over details and need a say in everything you do.
However, micromanagement can harm employees and the company as a whole. Research shows that micromanagement is one of the top three reasons employees leave their jobs. Micromanaging puts employees on edge and can drive high turnover.
Career strategist Tessa White offered valuable insight into another way micromanagement harms a team. White believes micromanaging bosses hide the potential of their employees.
“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 jobs is poor communication, or a lack of it. When employees offer feedback to a manager, they hope to effect change in the workplace.
Yet when managers ignore suggestions, workers feel unheard or undervalued and may seek a position where they feel supported.
3. Harsh criticism
According to The Gottman Institute, criticism and critique differ significantly. Offering critique or voicing a complaint about an employee means that a manager is focusing on a particular issue they want handled differently.
Criticism has more negative connotations and can often feel like an attack on the person as a whole, which can make people react defensively. 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 directly harms the person who did the work.
Not getting credit for your work can hold you back, as you’re more likely to be 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 respond well when their efforts are recognized. Hard work is a point of pride, but when it goes unnoticed, employees may lose steam or wonder why they’re even trying so hard in the first place. Positive affirmation in the workplace goes a long way toward retaining the people there.
6. Favoritism and bias
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Playing favorites never looks good, especially for a manager. When bosses favor one employee over another, that favoritism hurts team morale and overall 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, rooted in insecurity.
Confident people don't 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
Open communication is essential to any well-functioning team. Strong managers know just how valuable direct communication is. When a manager clearly sets expectations, employees know how to meet the established goals. When a manager is indirect or indecisive, people struggle 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.”
To retain employees, managers must operate from a place of respect and understanding while letting workers know 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 entertainment-related.
