Among my otheractivities, I am involved in facilitating support groups for jobseekers. Other than the steadily increasing numbers that these groups attract, It ha been an educational experience for me, as well as a unique opportunity to observe the feelings and observations of people who have recently left the workplace.
These jobseekers have shared a very divergent view and attitides about changing jobs:
Traditionalists . . . . . . . . . “Job changing carries a stigma.”.
Baby Boomers . . . . . . . . “Job changing puts you behind.”Gen-X’ers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Job changing is necessary.”
Millennials. . . . “Job changing is part of my daily routine.”
But like it or not, job changing is more and more a part of everyday life. What needs to be considered is our attitudes about how we perceive it - as something to be avoided at all costs, or a new opportunity gor growth and adventure.
Putting the stereotypical generational perspectives aside, it is useful to examine wy people feel so strongly about changing jobs. Workers attitudes are often formed by their collective experience of how they have been treated on the job. This represents a huge opportunities for employers who want to reduce attrition and retain the best and brightest. Leading companies, who are consistently able to attract and retain the best talent understand (and walk the talk) that it pays to treat workers right.
Consider that the S&P 500:have an average 25% growth, compared to the average Fortune’s "Great Places to Work" firms report 133% growth! I see where "smarter" employers understanding that having a positive workplace culture is an important part of retaining good workers as well as creating their "Employment Brand" to attract new high-quality talent.
This is the opposite end of the spectrum fro the employers that have a “Disposable Employee” mentality. These organizations treat their workers as a "commodity" and will continue to see high rates of turnover. Typically, I find in my research and consulting work that these are also the organizations that fail to monitor worker disengagement.
Why Do Employees Really Leave...
The "traditional" mindset says "“Turnover is acceptable and is a normal cost of doing business.” Compare this to the "Employer-of-Choice" mindset that looks at attrition differently: “Every avoidable turnover is a failure to be analyzed.”
When you fail to take steps to recognize the signs (or effects) of worker disengagement, you are setting up the foundation for the ultimate "I quit" event.. Most frequently, disengaged workers complain :
- The job or workplace is not as expected
- The Job doesn’t fit their talents & interests
- Therte is little or no feedback and coaching
- They feel no hope for career growth
- They feel devalued and unrecognized
- They feel overworked and stressed out
- There is no trust or confidence in senior leaders
Or put more simply, they don't see the organization demonstrating or investing in creating a climate of trust, hope, worth or competence
No organization intentionally wants to be a place people want to escape from, or who people want to avoid going to work at. But by ignoring the "basics", that's what often happens.
