Employees are on the move as employment market heats up!

After a recession comes turnover! Employees who waited until the recession was over to start looking for a change are now starting their job search. Those who have been stressed, treated poorly, underpaid, or overworked are seizing the opportunity to get into a new career as the job market heats up. I don’t think there is a story or reason why an employee chooses to leave their employer that I have not heard in my 22 years in this industry! And most the reasons are very common. Employers, read on; if you do not want a lot of turnover as the job market tightens, you better be sure you know what is going on with your employees. And for employees, read on also, as you will relate.

One of the most common reasons employees leave their jobs is that the job is not what they thought it was going to be when the were first hired. Often the boss will attempt to write a job description and sell a candidate on the job without really knowing the reality of the job! Another common reason for quitting is that the job doesn’t connect with the employee’s skills or interests. This just means that the interview process was not in-depth enough to determine that. Lack of communication or feedback is another popular reason for quitting. At my staffing agency, we often hear about employees who have never had critical feedback or a performance review, ever. But the most common reason we hear from employees as to why they quit their jobs, is that they do not feel valued or recognized for their efforts. Sometimes this takes a little time to push them over the edge, but eventually employees will leave for this reason.

Stress leaves and employees quitting because of stress is also a major issue for all businesses that cut back during the recession. What many employers do not realize is that stress levels cannot remain constant; there must be some reprieve for people. Short term stress is manageable, but years of constant stress forces people to breakdown and take a leave or quit. I can’t even count the number of times I have heard “I can’t take it anymore” by employees! Jobs are just not worth that kind of ongoing agony. During the recession, when there were little to no jobs available, many employees hung on to their jobs, worked overtime and took pay cuts, because they had to put food on the table. Now there are choices, so the employees who have had enough are walking.

Lastly, a lack of trust in the leader is one of the least discussed reasons, yet is one of the top reasons for employees leaving. If you look at all the reasons given, the common thread is related to the boss. Whether an employee comes right out and says it or not, the boss is usually behind the reasons for people quitting their jobs.

Pay attention bosses; do you know how your employees are feeling? Or are you going to lose them in a hot job market?