HIDDEN REASONS WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE

Leigh Branham, an employee-retention expert in his book ‘The 7 hidden reasons employees leave’ as summarized by Soundview executive summaries in Vol. 27, No 6 part 2 (2005); Stated the following as the seven hidden reasons employees leave their organizations. These seven reasons are:

• The job or workplace was not as expected.
• The mismatch between job and person.
• Too little coaching and feedback.
• Too few growth and advancement opportunities.
• Feeling devalued and unrecognized.
• Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance.
• Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders.

The above reasons are briefly discussed below:

1: THE JOB OR WORKPLACE WAS NOT AS EXPECTED
Every day, new hires enter organizations with a wide range of illusions and unrealistic expectations. Some stay and adapt, some disengage and stay, and many disengage and leave. At the root of their disenchantment is an expectation that was not met. In some cases, the employee’s expectations may have been unrealistic, and in some other cases, they were not. Quite simply, unmet and unrealistic expectations both cost a business untold millions of dollars. You may never see an exit survey with a checklist of reasons for leaving that includes the choice “unmet expectations,” but it may well be the number one reason employees leave.

2: THE MISMATCH BETWEEN JOB AND PERSON

Research over the last 25 years has shown that 80 percent of workers feel they are not using their strengths on a daily basis. When you consider it closely, though, it’s almost surprising that 20 percent of the working population does get to use their strengths daily. The key missing ingredient in so many companies is management’s lack of passion for getting the right people in the right jobs. Why is this so?
While many obstacles come to mind, the greatest of them all is a basic lack of understanding about the nature of human talent. Some managers believe employees are interchangeable parts to be moved into whatever slots most need to be filled. Others believe skills and knowledge are more important than talent. Those two misconceptions often lead to short-term solutions that ignore the long-term success that can result from focusing on properly matching employee talent with appropriate jobs.

3: TOO LITTLE COACHING AND FEEDBACK
Performance coaching and feedback are essential force employees because they help employees answer four basic questions:
• Where are we going as a company?
• How are we going to get there?
• How do you expect me to contribute?
• How am I doing?
The answers to these questions constitute much of what gives meaning to an employee’s efforts. Companies need to give feedback and coaching to make sure that employees’ efforts stay aligned with organizational goals and the expectations of direct supervisors. This alignment is a necessary precondition for employee engagement.

4: TOO FEW GROWTH AND ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

So much has changed in the worldwide business climate and in the way businesses now operate that the impact of those changes on the careers of individuals working in organizations needs to be acknowledged.

Downsizing has changed the loyalty contract between employee and employer, and it has also heightened the level of stress over job security. Focusing on short-term, bottom-line results has created pressure on management to reduce costs and push workers to do more with less.
Productivity gains have come at a cost — in reduced job satisfaction, stalled job creation and stagnant careers. A new career contract has not materialized in most organizations, particularly ones that value control over autonomy and self-direction. Most employers of choice, however, communicate clearly that employees must take the initiative in their own career development. They also give their people the tools and training needed to accomplish this, enabling them to be the best they possibly can be.

5: FEELING DEVALUED AND UNRECOGNIZED
Everyone wants to feel important, yet many organizations manage to make their people feel quite the opposite. It could be seen as a lack of simple appreciation, or a greater focus put on making numbers, and not valuing employees. Some employees might feel like a mere number — that no one in any kind of position above them listens to them or even knows they exist, much less work there. Managers who do show some appreciation might not show it in a timely manner or the rewards given might have little if anything to do with what the employees truly find valuable.

6: STRESS FROM OVERWORK AND WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE
It is sobering to consider all the things there are to be stressed about in the workplace — overwork, personality conflicts, forced overtime, disorganized supervisors, gossip, harassment, prejudice and so many others. Workers get stressed when they must sacrifice family time to work extra hours, when they must deal with the insensitivity of some co-workers, and when they really need a personal day but cannot take one because their company does not offer them.

These are the people who consistently work late, work through lunch, work through sickness, take work home and express frustration in myriad unhealthy ways. Company leaders must determine whether their organization’s culture is unhealthy, or even toxic. When you force workers into choosing between having a life and a career, your organization has a toxic culture. Workers are not merely resources: They are people. You should be empowering them, not attempting to control them. Address these things, this culture, or your employees will — by leaving.

7: LOSS OF TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN SENIOR LEADERS
Senior leaders are challenged with creating a culture of trust and integrity that strengthens the bonds of employee engagement. While this challenge is shared by all managers and employees, it is incumbent on senior leaders to set the tone and the example. This isn’t always easy, particularly when employees already have a number of issues with their managers and leaders. They complain about a basic lack of trust and integrity in leadership. They might feel management is out of touch with day-to-day reality. Or, they might feel that leaders are concerned only with their own greed, and not with the needs and concerns of workers.

You can see these issues manifest themselves in the effort and conduct exhibited by the work force, in a lack of enthusiasm in the workplace, and in the increasing complaints and questions about policies and practices. You can see it in managers who begin to question the decisions and actions of senior leaders, or even in active resistance to leader initiatives and change efforts. How to recognize the subtle signs and act before it’s too late – The 7 hidden reasons employees leave: summarized by Soundview Executive Book Summaries 2005.

THE PROCESS OF DISENGAGEMENT
Employee turnover is not an event — it is a process of disengagement that can take days, weeks, months or even years until the actual decision to leave occurs. There are several sequential and predictable steps that can unfold in the employee’s journey from disengagement to departure. These are:
• Start the new job with enthusiasm.
• Question the decision to accept the job.
• Think seriously about quitting.
• Try to change things.
• Resolve to quit.
• Consider the cost of quitting.
• Passively seek another job.
• Prepare to actively seek.
• Actively seek.
• Get new job offer.
• Quit to accept new job, quit without a job, or stay and disengage.

Many managers are so busy or preoccupied that they wouldn’t notice where their employees were in the continuum if they wore signs around their necks that proclaimed “Trying to Change Things!” or “Becoming Less Engaged Every Day!” Managers need to better understand the signs of discontent before they lose their best and brightest people.

Tyrant attitude from boss..


I will just go and forge out appointment letter from one big company and show it to him telling him i'm leaving


He will just beg and increase my salary

The employers are taking advantage of the severe economic condition of the country coupled with the market forces of 'demand and supply of labour' which is gravely imbalance as the supply of labour is more than the demand for labour thus forcing down the price and value for the labour force in Nigeria.