The Real Reason Your Employees Quit.

I have spent over 10 years listening to thousands of peoples reasons for wanting to leave their current employer and OH BOY are there patterns in peoples behaviour. If you want to best manage your team and keep your high achievers happy and productive, read on as you need to predict these drivers before you drive your people away.
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Micromanagement: If you are running a call centre with 100 people with no specific industry expertise, then yes you need reports in order to manage. If you are a National Sales Manager and have a team of 8 people who are industry specialists and you ask them to report constantly on their day to day activities. They will after time look for a business who trust them.
Try:

• Operating from the mindset: "I don't hire smart people to tell them what to do, I hire smart people so they tell me what to do" and you will have cultivated a innovative, creative, motivating place to work.
• Only hire people your agent or yourself have extensively reference checked so you know they can be trusted to work autonomously. 
• Letting Go. Usually if you give people enough rope they will climb to greatness or hang themselves.

Recognition: This is the number one reason people leave their jobs! After a while employers, managers and business owners forget and take for granted that their full time employees dedicate over 70% of their lives to their company. In the short term a pay cheque is a good reward but over the years, if this is the only way you are rewarding and recognising your people they will leave. Usually to a competitor for 5-10 grand more. Because you taught them to value income over loyalty. 
Try:

• Sending out an email notifying the rest of the company of the high performers and talking the time to congratulate people when they improve in any area.
• Taking your employees aside and saying "Good Job". It may seem small but this alone can prevent a sent application. 
• Running an annual awards night

​Hierarchy: When a boss runs a company, his door is closed, the office is quiet  and there always seems to be tension between team members. When a leader runs an office the door is wide open, communication is flowing and all team members are treated equally, most importantly their opinions matter. 

• Try: Opening your office door and leaving it open.
• Leading by example and not operating from the mindset of "do as I say not as I do".
• Don't make sales figures more important than people.
• Stop operating from the idea that everyone is replaceable because they will all fulfill that proficy and walk straight to your competitor.

Personal Development: If we don't grow as humans, like every other creature on earth - we die. People are leaving your workplace because you have not set any goals that compel them - Goals that compel them to jump out of bed and dedicate their lives to your cause.

• Be the leader people want to go to battle for. Be warm, energetic, recognise your teams achievements, give them space to be themselves and work their way and genuinely care about their well being.
• Get your own coach or mentor, push yourself to be more, to attract higher caliber candidates to your company - you have to be at a high standard to attract a high standard of candidate - people long to be inspired.
• Set personal goals with your team, not just sales targets.

I have found that many high achievers would stay in their current organisation if these needs were met. Take an honest look at why people are leaving your business and stop the revolving door.  
Be rewarded, recognised and inspired,
Marianne Paterson
Coach & Talent Strategist
0459468898