Why Good Employees Leave: Commonsense Ways To Build Employee Loyalty

by Emily Huling

I know I was supposed to laugh, but I couldn’t. The creators of the Sally Forth comic strip hit the nail on the head. Many bosses just don’t get it. For those of you who have had this happen, or see yourself in Ralph, here’s a list of the most common areas of worker dissatisfaction.

EMPLOYEES FEEL UNDERVALUED

Fun rewards such as a team lunch or time off show appreciation and express thanks for a job well done. Demonstrating that employees are valued is more complex than that. Valuing employees’ contributions means asking for their input on account handling strategies and special projects, showing respect for new ideas to improve processes and profits, and supporting their interest in learning more and advancing their careers. Employees feel slotted and thwarted by managers who are satisfied with good, consistent work and don’t encourage individual contributions and personal growth.

EMPLOYEES FEEL USED OR EXPLOITED

The Sally Forth comic strip represents one area in which employees can feel used. Another common mistake is to allow a poor performer to continue unproductive behavior while a good performer picks up the slack. For example, one employee is frequently on the phone or away from their desk, the questions and calls filter to the reliable worker. Accepting poor performance hurts the entire team — in productivity and morale. Some employees might leave.

POLITICS OR FAVORITISM

This situation commonly occurs in offices where several principals share responsibilities and no one partner wants to be the heavy in a difficult situation. For example, one partner is in charge of Personal Lines and another is responsible for sales. Because 'sales drive the organization,' the producers are favored when difficulties arise between CSRs and producers. For example, producers arrive at the CSR’s desk with incomplete application in hand and want the CSR to drop everything to place 'an important account.' The CSR poses legitimate questions and the producers go to their boss complaining about how difficult the CSRs are to work with. The producers aren’t held accountable for upholding their job responsibilities and yet the CSRs are. This situation has driven many CSRs to find other positions.

FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULES

With our changing lives and priorities, the standard work hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. just don’t work for some people. Luckily, technology has made it possible for work to be done at remote locations during any hour of the day. Before an employee leaves because of a spouse relocating or to care for a family member, find out what you can do to create a win-win situation for both parties. Remote computers dial into main locations for seamless work. Have phone systems programmed so that a call transferred to another location is invisible to the caller.

Many employees just want flexibility to avoid burn out. For example, an employee with a long commute can work from a home office a day or two a week. Flex time (selecting alternative work hours) can help employees who want to be home when children get home from school. Employers who initiate these benefits before the employees threaten to leave — or do leave — create a happier work environment and build employee loyalty.

Our industry is suffering from a shortage of good workers. Employers need to make every effort to retain valuable employees. Take time to look closely at your work environment to be sure you aren’t unintentionally driving people away.