To understand the real reasons employees leave, check out The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave by Leigh Branham.
He provides insight across the continuum of what prompts employees to start thinking about leaving to their disengagement and ultimate departure. Branham’s book is based on the results of extensive employee exit interviews.
The seven reasons why employees leave include:
- The job or workplace was not as expected
- A mismatch between the job and the person
- Not enough coaching and feedback
- Too few growth and advancement opportunities
- Employees feel devalued and unrecognized
- Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance
- A loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders.
Branham further breaks down each reason into specific underlying causes and provides “employer-of-choice engagement practices” and accompanying checklists to help managers more effectively minimize turnover. As a special bonus, he also offers guidelines for exit interviews and turnover analysis.
Branham’s book contains fascinating insight into why employees leave. Here’s one of my favorite takeaways: when doing an exit interview, ask “Why are you not staying?” instead of “Why are you leaving?”