You Have A Great Company Culture. Why Are People Leaving?
You’ve done all the right things when it comes to creating a company culture that should keep employees happy and loyal. You’ve developed a stellar onboarding strategy; you offer great salaries and benefits; you promote openness, honesty, and empowerment. So why are so many of your valued employees walking out the door? And what can you do to stop it? Here are a few insights that might help.
A Mismatch In Work Styles
Some employees thrive in open, unstructured environments where they can dress how they want, make their own schedules, and enjoy a steady stream of company parties. Others prefer a strict setup with quantifiable goals, a clearly defined hierarchy, and a formal dress code. If your company is described by the former and you’re hiring the latter, it only makes sense that those employees aren’t going to stick around very long. It’s imperative you let potential employees know what your organizational culture is like, and make sure it matches with their personality and preferences, before making an offer.
Incompatible Values
It’s no secret an employee’s values need to align with those of the organization in order to create a successful working relationship. However, values are not always fixed. They can change over time, either on the part of the employee or of the organization. When one changes and the other doesn’t, a once compatible arrangement becomes conflicted. For example, if you were once an environmentally conscious organization, but when leadership changed hands, those priorities fell to the wayside, certain employees might feel compelled to leave. No matter how great the company culture is, if the employee doesn’t feel good about working there, she is going to seek other opportunities.
An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Generally, when workers are happy, they do not actively seek other employment. But that doesn’t stop headhunters from attempting to recruit them and competitors from trying to poach them. If an employee feels fulfilled in his current role he won’t be enticed, but if he’s feeling restless, refusing an offer that promises growth and opportunity will be hard to ignore. It’s essential that you make your valued employees aware you’re willing to negotiate, and they should come talk to you before accepting another offer.
You Think Your Company Culture Is Better Than It Is
You may think you have a fantastic company culture and an incredible work environment, but you might not. It’s possible some of your employees’ needs are being met, but there’s always room for improvement. Are you sure your organization is as positive, nurturing, and motivating as you think it is? Are you certain your benefits and salaries are competitive? There could be factors you’re overlooking—especially if you haven’t taken a close look in a while. If you feel you’re missing something, it’s time to conduct anonymous employee satisfaction surveys, and research what your competitors are doing to succeed in this changing job market. Once you learn what’s missing or not working properly, look into best practices, and work diligently to rectify the situation.
Employees leave jobs for many different reasons. Dissatisfaction with company culture is one of the big ones. But if you take the time to assess—and regularly reassess—your hiring practices, working policies, and how you care for your staff day-to-day, you’ll be able to reduce your turnover rate and improve morale and motivation.