Despite all of the other important parts of running a business, managing employees is much more complicated than most business owners originally think. Each employee has their own personality, goals and of course their own needs. It is not always easy to balance HR with your general business operations. Taking this into consideration, there are several reasons why good employees quit, in fact 4 million people quit their jobs in the month of July of 2021, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
www.CIO.com states that employees who feel engaged in their workplace tend to stay in their jobs. However, the reverse is true also. Workers who feel disconnected from development opportunities, management, or the organization’s values are more likely to quit. To know whether or not an employee is disengaged you have to pay attention to certain signs, i.e., they withdraw from activities, frequently call in sick perform their job with minimum effort.
Other reasons employees leave their jobs are because they feel there is no career advancement or it is simply not going as planned. As an employer, you should make educational and career advancement opportunities available for personal and professional growth. Presenting opportunities is a great way to keep employees engaged. At the same time that you are presenting advancement opportunities you have to keep in mind the employees’ work/life balance. Employees sometimes find it easier to quit a job rather than to rearrange their family obligations when something comes up as it may not be as easy to be as flexible as needed. Have your leadership team check in with employees regularly so they feel supported and valued. Other ways you can present a good work-life balance is to occasionally give the team an extended lunch break so that they can run a quick errand or take the extra time to relax.
According to www.Forbes.com, being overworked is listed as the biggest reason employees quit their jobs, especially among top performers. An employer needs to be able to find the balance between extra work and overworked. There is a big difference between giving one of your employees more work and consistently giving them extra tasks. If you consistently rely on the companies top performers to do the extras and have bigger amounts of responsibilities, then you should really consider a promotion of some sort. If you only increase their workload and do not provide a balanced incentive or reward/reward system they will quickly find another employer who will better fit their needs.
Overall, your employees do not need to be your friend but they do need to have a relationship with you. As their boss you are an important part of their daily life at work. As the boss, you are the one who gives the direction, feedback and constructive criticism. So, a healthy, well- balanced relationship employer- employee relationship is extremely important. When boss and employee relationships are in balance, so is the work.
Overall, you can’t take your top performing employees, or any employees, for granted. If you want to retain good people, you have to make sure that you’re not only meeting their needs but also giving them a reason to stay and continue their career with your organization.