Why do employees leave an organisation? Having found company in a large number of my friends leaving their existing jobs due to myriad reasons, I believe some of the reasons that can be attributed to people leaving their jobs are basic.
REWARDS
"Pay Peanuts, Get Monkeys"
Being called a monkey isn't exactly a pleasant experience. Andrew Symonds would vouch for that. Or even the thought that somebody could have called you monkey isn't exactly a pleasant experience. How it would feel if you are treated like one?
Money is definitely one of the most significant factors that plays on the mind of an individual before he or she decides to move ahead. There are lot of people who don't pay their staff their works worth at all. Especially at the lower level. It is no surprise that you find highest levels of attrition at that level. Often to the point of the income not being sufficient to meet even his basic needs.
Over the past one month, my travails with an internet service provider, and a subsequent interaction with an executive of a rival company pretty much affirmed the above idea - the lower level staffs are on the constant lookout to shift jobs with a better pay scale, and hence, a higher level of attrition at their level.
Over the past one month, my travails with an internet service provider, and a subsequent interaction with an executive of a rival company pretty much affirmed the above idea - the lower level staffs are on the constant lookout to shift jobs with a better pay scale, and hence, a higher level of attrition at their level.
RECOGNITION
With money you can get anything, goes a popular saying. Money could pretty much satisfy most of a person's needs. But it still doesn't satisfy the one of the most important aspect of a man's work - recognition for the work that he has done. In the initial days of employment, an employee wouldn't mind his boss taking credit for what the employee has done, or his boss suggesting the employee's idea as his, and taking a bigger slice of recognition.
If the same thing happens over a period of time and repeatedly, enough to undermine the employee, the employee would pretty much decide to move on. Why would anyone stick around with a boss who literally "robs" you off all your recognition, and make them his own? Merely because you are paid a tad more than some of your peers? In the long run, the recognition that you are a good employee with an innovative ideas would easily help him fetch a far higher reward than whatever the boss could afford to pay.
If the same thing happens over a period of time and repeatedly, enough to undermine the employee, the employee would pretty much decide to move on. Why would anyone stick around with a boss who literally "robs" you off all your recognition, and make them his own? Merely because you are paid a tad more than some of your peers? In the long run, the recognition that you are a good employee with an innovative ideas would easily help him fetch a far higher reward than whatever the boss could afford to pay.
RESPECT
It is a common issue in many companies that the basic work culture is such that they expect every subordinate to respect the superior, but the they don't really expect the reverse. We often equate respect with Age in general and Seniority of position at the workplace.
Constantly reminding who is the boss, treating the subordinate as an extension of household servant or a slave, subtly requesting cum ordering some personal works, delegating works which the superior is supposed to do on his own etc are some of the issues which stems out of the disrespect for the subordinate, or his abilities or his role in the Company.
If you treat somebody like shit, they will automatically flush themselves out, if you still don't realize the truth, the reality would actually be the reverse.
Constantly reminding who is the boss, treating the subordinate as an extension of household servant or a slave, subtly requesting cum ordering some personal works, delegating works which the superior is supposed to do on his own etc are some of the issues which stems out of the disrespect for the subordinate, or his abilities or his role in the Company.
If you treat somebody like shit, they will automatically flush themselves out, if you still don't realize the truth, the reality would actually be the reverse.
WORK INDEPENDENCE
Just imagine. You are a Manager, and you report to a Senior Manager or Project Lead in a Company. You have some ten or fifteen members working under you and reporting to you. You have given some work to your team, the relevant instructions, setting the goals, the time frame, highlighting the importance of the task and the like. You would expect the work to be done in the manner you have directed it. What if you find the work done in a totally different manner simply because your Project Lead / Senior Manager had intervened in the middle and went about undoing all that you had done? What if the Senior Manager / Project Lead gives a loud instruction to one or two of your subordinates to do a different work altogether?
Admittedly they have the authority to do so. That wouldn't mean they can undermine your role and responsibility. They are your boss. But you are somebody's boss. And every boss needs to handle his subordinates directly. Any of the above types of interference will seriously undermine your respect among your subordinate. Without the necessary work independence, no employee can ever hope to evolve as a leader, and grow professionally. What's the point of being paid, respected or recognized, when your own subordinates know for sure that you are powerless to decide what matters your own work profile?
AUTHORITY TO MATCH THE RESPONSIBILITY
It is as simple as this. You are supposed to manage the Office's Database and Domain, but you are not given the admin access to do so. Your job profile gets completed only when the tasks entrusted is matched with the corresponding authority. As with most organisations (say Congress), the responsibility is shared, the authority isn't. Such employees who don not have commensurate authority are pretty much like the proverbial lamb. One mistake which is in no way within their control, and the axe falls on them. And such a constant fear can only drive them out of the Company, and not motivate to continue to work.
DUMB AND SCARED BOSSES
Many organisations are infested with Bosses who are totally clueless about the operations of the divisions they head. By hook or by crook, more so by crook, they end up on top of the divisions / organisation's pyramid, and start creating havoc by refusing to improve. Their knowledge of the operations, gumption for finding solutions to complex problems, ability to handle issues and people leave a lot to be desired. Any sane input from the subordinate is pretty much ignored, on some pretext or the other, primarily to hide their inabilities, and for fear of being overtaken.
If the subordinate still believes he could easily overtake his boss, and become the next boss, he gets the shock of his life - His own old ideas are rehashed into new ones and offered to the entire team as "path breaking" solutions. If he still has not packed his bags for a different Company, the boss knows he has a sucker on his rolls.
- + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + -
There could be a whole lot of other reasons for an employee to exit. But most of them are directly attributable to the kind of bosses they get. And typically, a Company with a bad set of principles and ethos, poor set of controls and systems, ends up getting such bad bosses at various divisions. And such Company can never be called or branded as "Organized" or "Systematic". They are pretty much banana companies, which creates more deranged monkeys and true leaders.
Admittedly they have the authority to do so. That wouldn't mean they can undermine your role and responsibility. They are your boss. But you are somebody's boss. And every boss needs to handle his subordinates directly. Any of the above types of interference will seriously undermine your respect among your subordinate. Without the necessary work independence, no employee can ever hope to evolve as a leader, and grow professionally. What's the point of being paid, respected or recognized, when your own subordinates know for sure that you are powerless to decide what matters your own work profile?
AUTHORITY TO MATCH THE RESPONSIBILITY
It is as simple as this. You are supposed to manage the Office's Database and Domain, but you are not given the admin access to do so. Your job profile gets completed only when the tasks entrusted is matched with the corresponding authority. As with most organisations (say Congress), the responsibility is shared, the authority isn't. Such employees who don not have commensurate authority are pretty much like the proverbial lamb. One mistake which is in no way within their control, and the axe falls on them. And such a constant fear can only drive them out of the Company, and not motivate to continue to work.
DUMB AND SCARED BOSSES
Many organisations are infested with Bosses who are totally clueless about the operations of the divisions they head. By hook or by crook, more so by crook, they end up on top of the divisions / organisation's pyramid, and start creating havoc by refusing to improve. Their knowledge of the operations, gumption for finding solutions to complex problems, ability to handle issues and people leave a lot to be desired. Any sane input from the subordinate is pretty much ignored, on some pretext or the other, primarily to hide their inabilities, and for fear of being overtaken.
If the subordinate still believes he could easily overtake his boss, and become the next boss, he gets the shock of his life - His own old ideas are rehashed into new ones and offered to the entire team as "path breaking" solutions. If he still has not packed his bags for a different Company, the boss knows he has a sucker on his rolls.
- + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + -
There could be a whole lot of other reasons for an employee to exit. But most of them are directly attributable to the kind of bosses they get. And typically, a Company with a bad set of principles and ethos, poor set of controls and systems, ends up getting such bad bosses at various divisions. And such Company can never be called or branded as "Organized" or "Systematic". They are pretty much banana companies, which creates more deranged monkeys and true leaders.
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