What are the Main Reasons People Leave a Job?

What are the Main Reasons People Leave a Job?

 

What are the main reasons why people leave a job?  There is an old saying that people quit bosses; they don't quit a job.  In a recent study completed between January and October 2018,  researchers asked 25,000 people from around the world why they left their job.  Would you be surprised to learn that the top five reasons, which account for the vast majority of responses, not one reason had to do with the actual work?  We aren't surprised at all.

 

Why do people leave a job?  Well, as that old saying says, the #1 reason is “Poor Management.”

"Poor Management" is the most significant reason by far.  40% of people who describe their management as "poor" interviewed for a job at some point in the three months.  By comparison, only 10% of the people in the job market gave their managers high scores.

 

Hack of Recognition

 

You can place "Lack of Recognition" into the same category as "Poor Management."  Most people are not afraid of working long, hard hours.  Most people realize that a lot of jobs require more than the regular nine to five.  The problem comes in after those long hours are put in on a project, only for the bosses to take all of the credit.  Recognition is essential for people.  In a lot of cases, people who are unhappy with other aspects of their job including salary and benefits admit to being happier on the job when their hard work is recognized not only by their immediate managers but by those at higher levels of the organization.  It turns out that a sincere “Thank you” actually goes a long way.

 

Being Overworked

 

Long hours and overworked are two different things.  During tax season, an accountant is going to put in long hours. Most jobs do have a busy season. Other jobs that might be project-based have periods where the hours are very long, and then there are times when you can get out on time.  Being overworked doesn't have anything to do with the number of hours being put in.  You can be putting in eight hours a day and still be completely overworked.  It is a matter of the workload and expectations, or often, unrealistic expectations of what can get done in a certain amount of time.

 

People who talk about being overworked will start to complain about burnout.  They will also talk more about their life/work balance.

People often say that the reward for good work is more work.  At some point, it does become too much for people, and if there is no let-up, they will leave.

 

Lack of Company Culture

 

Individuals have a personality.  Companies have a culture.  Place this in the "poor management" area as well.   Culture of a company or a department, good or bad, comes from the top.  A company's culture has to do with the environment that people work.  Are managers and other workers friendly with each other?  Are they working as a team or are people outwardly competing against each other?  Culture comes down to what the ethics, values, and expectations are from the company and the managers.  If managers yell at you for going to the restroom at the wrong time or you have a manager standing at your desk pointing to his watch if you are 2 minutes late getting back from lunch, then there isn’t going to be a lot of incentive to want to stay.  About 25% of people said that company culture was the driving force for them to leave their job for a new one.

 

No room for growth

 

Of the top reasons people leave a job, there is the only one that doesn't expressly point to a poorly managed company.  Even in the best of companies, not everyone is going to have the chance to work their way up the corporate ladder.   After a certain amount of time at a specific position, most people are going to want to make it to the next level, and enjoy the added salary and benefits that go along with it.

 

The lack of opportunity is not necessarily a sign of poor management, it may just be that there are no openings or opportunities at that time.  You may choose to wait, or you may decide to look for advancement at another company. 

 

The Essex Companies has been in business since 1966.  In that time, we have developed long-standing relationships with many companies of different sizes, and we are proud to be a part of the New York City job market landscape.  If you are in the market for a new job, give us a call at 212-391-1515 or contact us (link to contact page) through our website to see what we can do for you.