On average, employees today stay at a job for 5.1 years. This figure is better than in 1983 when the average employee stuck to a company for approximately 3.5 years only. And yes, this debunks the myth that Millennials (those who are born between 1981 and 1996) change jobs way more often than the past generations did.
If your company is still suffering from high employee turnover, perhaps it’s time to level up your retention strategies. To do that, you must know where they’re coming from. What’s making them quit their jobs despite your best efforts to make them stay?
And while you’re probably done with your research, we figured that we’d instill a bit of humor to your problem-solving scheme by revealing the unspoken reasons why employees leave their jobs:
The Work Setting Is Boring
Tina, the girl from the editorial department, has a friend. That friend works at Google. At Google, they have playrooms, the environment is so laid-back, and the employees have plenty of room—literally and figuratively—to get their creative juices flowing.
Meanwhile, Tina, who has been at your company for two years, is sick of staring at the boring wall at her work cubicle for hours a day. When asked by HR why she wants to leave the company, she said she’s looking for better opportunities when, in fact, she just wants a more exciting work setting.
After reading this article, take a look at your workplace. Is it inspiring creativity? Perhaps you need to get a new set of office building stairs, repaint your boring walls with a new color, revamp your building’s facade, and take down the cubicles and replace them with glass doors.
An Office Romance Is Budding
Many companies have rules against romantic relationships in the workplace, and for good reason. Imagine what will happen to two parties when it doesn’t work out. Things could get awkward between them, which could affect their work.
So for the hopeless romantics who fell in love with their co-workers, leaving the job might be the best thing to do. Heartbreaks are a serious matter, so better check in on the next employee who will hand over a resignation letter.
Your Political Stand Sucks
And we’re not even talking about office politics here. If you can’t shut up about who you voted for in the last elections and your employee has had enough, that can seriously be a trigger for them to submit a resignation letter. If you’re voting for someone whose platforms and values are against theirs, that can be a real deal-breaker.
You Don’t Give Away Free Coffee
While it’s not your responsibility to feed the caffeine obsessions of your employees, keeping your pantry full of drinks and snacks is a great office morale booster. Once your caffeine-obsessed top talent realizes this, you’re doomed.
They Can’t Keep Up with Their Favourite TV Series
The new season of Stranger Things has been out for months, and Tina is still stuck in the second season. This revelation might give you a WTF moment, but it could well be a reflection of your employees’ work-life balance (or lack thereof).
Take a moment to consider if your employees are forced to overwork, not appreciated enough, lack the motivation to do their jobs well, or forced to deal with bad bosses. This could serve as a turning point for your organization to act to retain your top talent moving forward.
