The economy has changed significantly since the 2008 publication of Leigh Branham’s book, The Seven Hidden Reasons Employees Leave. Enough so that Branham wrote a second edition of his book based on new data collected from employee exit surveys.
Branham states upfront that the reasons given by employees for leaving their jobs are “fundamentally the same.” What has changed are the implications from the data. For example:
- Employees are “five times more likely to leave a job because of an internal issue than in response to an outside opportunity …”
- Since employees don’t just leave for better opportunities (although that’s what they’ll tell the company because it’s easier), most employee turnover is avoidable and potentially preventable.
- Employees may leave their immediate managers, but they also cite lack of trust in senior leaders as a key reason for disengaging.
Dissatisfaction with pay is cause for some turnover, but more as an emotional issue related to salary fairness than with the actual amount of the salary itself. Branham explains that employees “are bothered by inequity – knowing that they make less than others who are no more qualified, or even less qualified than they are. They feel the injustice of getting the same pay raises as those who have contributed far less to the organization than they have … It all adds up to feeling ‘less than.’”
If you care about employee retention
This book will help you better understand why employees leave and what you can do about it. Branham shows how to recognize the warning signs that employees are getting ready to exit and shares examples of what employer-of-choice organizations do to minimize turnover. Given employees share responsibility for their own engagement, he also offers suggestions employees can consider before they leave as a last resort.
The Seven Hidden Reasons Employees Leave provides research-based evidence that:
“Most of the reasons employees disengage and leave are consistent, predictable, and avoidable, if the employers have the desire to retain and are willing to invest the time to take preventive or corrective actions.” – Leigh Branham
I strongly recommend Branham’s updated book for managers and business owners who need to address employee retention for a better bottom line.