When people feel they belong they will stay through hard times. Firmly grounded in the mission and working with people they connect with, they can endure. However, if the community health declines to a point where people no longer feel safe, the organization may crumble. Should that happen, watch out below!

People are leaving

Some attrition from the organization is expected. However, preventable attrition is an expense an organization cannot withstand for long. Each new hire costs the company over $4,000 and Gallup frames attrition as a 1 trillion dollar problem for business today. The rule of thumb is when an employee leaves, it costs the organization between one-half to two times their salary. So, for an employee making $100,000, the simple math tells us that the company will incur additional expenses of $50,000 to $200,000 per occurrence. Too many preventable losses like this and the expense could place the firm at financial risk. This is no joke.

Importance of company culture

75% of recruiters say company culture does help in attracting top talent. Glassdoor reviews are important to the hiring process according to the Jobvite Recruiter Nation Study 2018. Scott Saslow the founder & chief executive of ONE WORLD Training & Investments writes about the impact this can have on profitability:

As companies find additional ways to profitably drive positive social impact through their core operations, they will find that such efforts become sustainable, scalable, and ultimately have a reinforcing effect on profit margin.

What is rarely written about are the alternative reasons people give each other for moving on. If you are like me, you’ve been part of many conversations where departing friends and colleges have left unexpectedly. I’m increasingly troubled because we seem slow to address many of the concerns we hear as key employees walk out the door.

My hope is thru increased awareness of the 4 reasons I’ve heard expressed countless times might initiate a constructive dialog with those in charge. Candid conversations followed by constructive action might help to reduce preventable attrition. If we can, we help our people, strengthen our organization, and increase our capacity to serve our customers and community.

Reason #1: The purpose of the organization doesn’t connect with employees

Employees need a clear, unifying vision. A shared vision gives people hope and creates safety while enabling decision-making. On the contrary, when the vision is unclear or misunderstood work turns into toil and makes obtaining organizational goals less achievable.

The vision outlines the current common understanding of how the company will be successful. Well-run organizations do more. They leverage the vision to enable employees to unleash their creativity in fulfilling it. It works because a vision can captivate the imagination of both employees and customers. It can also serve as an invitation for employees to live their purpose while accomplishing their assignments.

It is the leader’s responsibility to share the vision continuously.

If we expect our people to embody the vision, those in charge can be more successful in weaving vision language into strategy. It should influence how we write and permeate the conversations we have with clients. As employees embrace the vision and become its evangelists they are developing feelings of ownership.

Suggestion:

If we believe every team member has an integral role to play in delivering value to our customers, wouldn’t they have important ideas on how to make it all happen? Consider implementing new ways to listen and act on employee suggestions. For example, when developing a new product or service, introduce creative ways for employees to provide their input regularly. Not only will we likely build better products, but it also invites increased ownership. Many companies offer stock options because they know owners are more inclined to stay longer and do better work than merely hired hands.

Reason #2: The company mission is not being lived by those in charge

The mission of the organization should be clear to its employees. While it is good to have the mission on display in written form, what is most important is seeing it in action. We call this leading by example. Leaders set the tone and can foster a healthy culture. In a recent article by Gallup, they write,

“Culture bridges the gap between what an organization says and what it does.”

Employees should have and be encouraged to give their best selves to their work, be empowered to make decisions, and be enabled through training and other resources to improve their performance.

Employees leave when they feel like they aren’t making a difference and those in charge are not listening to them.

Leaders unable to model what they state publicly lose credibility and when they do, employees look for a stronger leader to follow.

Today, the mission of an organization can draw people to it. However, when people don’t know where they fit, many feel like they are not worthy and it makes their lives harder than need be. While each person has the responsibility to give their best as they do their job, the role of a leader is to equip and position them for success.

Suggestion: Leaders fail when they know how to help their people, yet send them away to figure things out by themselves. Instead, let us be on purpose in helping employees identify their gifts and provide regular opportunities to put them to work. This goes beyond the job too. The difference here is it can’t be only about what the ‘organization needs’. Instead, the mission will succeed when we leverage the skills and other gifts of the employee properly. We can’t expect members to give what they are not equipped for; when we do we leave them worse off and the mission in jeopardy.

Reason #3: Ineffective leadership

Leader effectiveness is highly dependent on how well they connect with their people. As John Maxwell often states, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Experiencing a real connection with our leader is important to most employees. When we know where the leader stands, where they are going, we have the agency to decide if we want to follow them. And as much as we talk about leadership, becoming a leader also requires learning how to be a good follower too.

While an executive leader can’t expect to maintain personal relationships with all their people, they can share and live by a set of principles. Employees long for the leader they can trust and see as honest. When stated values line up with behaviors it can work. Author Bill George has been a long-time proponent of leading authentically. We need more of it.

Leaving leadership development to the experts isn’t working. Paying more to the big business of leadership education while receiving dismal engagement scores must have the C-Suite wondering what they can do differently.

To the professional working to build a better career the answer in creating and empowering the leaders of tomorrow will require those in charge to stop copying what other companies do and plot a principled approach to serve clients and employees. Like us, the firm needs its own distinct voice.

Leader effectiveness takes time. Consistency of practice produces trust; for trust is the foundation of connection. On the contrary, when trust is broken, it might take a miracle to earn it back.

Companies worth following need to do the hard work and emotional labor of thinking deeply and communicating clearly why their vision of tomorrow is the desired destination. Then, they can ask for permission to lead their employees and begin the work of doing something remarkable with the team members that buy in.

Suggestion: To do this, those in charge might consider trusting experts less and themselves and their teams more. Every day we move towards a more collaborative workplace where connection and culture trumps hierarchy and control. Be as consistent as possible to live what you teach in ways your people can see. When you fall short, admit it and share your experience. We are all human beings; modeling how to change our mindset from our way of thinking and behaving helps others see they can do it.

Reason #4: Perceived lack of opportunity

There must be a place for every person to use their uniqueness the way they are designed. It is the leader’s responsibility to make a place for their gift.

People leaders are not always properly positioned and equipped. The best leaders and staff ensure employees and volunteers are well equipped through training, coaching, and informal mentorship. This begs the question; what training are we providing regularly to help those performing the work inside our organization?

The answer may be uncovered in how many learning opportunities in topics employees want are being offered every month. People not only need the technical skill to perform the job, but also human connection. If purposeful equipping is not provided, then we have work to do or our teams will be less cohesive and less resilient.

Organizations running with unsustainable practices have difficulty fulfilling their mission. We are experiencing this. Asking a team to sprint continually does not work in athletics so we shouldn’t expect this construct to be sustainable in the workplace either.

The is something to the idea of going too fast. When we do we should expect fatigue to set in, less engagement, and then preventable turn-over. When the employee sees a future of toil before them, they look for a brighter future elsewhere. Think of it this way. Adopting a strategy of extreme delivery is like running out of gas before arriving at the destination.

Characteristics of the equipped member

1. Giftedness: When a member has an aptitude for the work, activities can be accomplished faster and with less toil. Sustainability requires our people to have the energy to complete the work without burning out.

2. Skills: Asking employees to go and do something when their skills are undeveloped will not go well for them or the organization. Fortunately, skills can be refined. Having at least one highly skilled person willing to help mentor and train others can make a big difference.

3. Capacity: Regardless of giftedness or skills, when our people don’t have time, now is not the moment to ask for more. Do everything possible to be clear about the commitment and then protect your people from extra demands that arise.

Suggestion: Perform an analysis. Compare desired objectives to what employees can give based on giftedness, skills, and capacity. Resist stretching into areas your group doesn’t have experience. Additionally, before taking on any new initiatives or projects; the best leaders count the cost before beginning.

Consider implementing a training program to strengthen employee effectiveness and organizational alignment. When employees feel they are valued individuals and part of a nurturing community they will be less likely to search out a competitor.

Last thoughts

I hope to reduce unneeded attrition from our important organizations. Our society desperately needs more positive influences focused on the service of others. Organizations have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference. When we are more aware of the unstated reasons people are leaving, we increase our opportunity to prevent it.