It’s a familiar rhythm. Just like many employees around the world, they go through a detailed interview process, taking weeks to find the perfect match through vetting and being vetted. Once they accept the offer, there’s a sense of hope and anticipation as they meet their new boss and colleagues.
Then, the honeymoon phase wears off, and something almost expectantly happens at every job: The manager does something (or doesn’t do something) that makes the new employee question their integrity and whether they really give a damn about people.
If you’re that new employee with hopes for a bright future, you start to doubt and wonder if this is really the same company or manager you initially signed on with. From there, things spiral downward as you finally realize you’re working for a person (or a group of people) who has no idea how to lead you or others.
I’ll leave the rest of that story for you to finish, since it’s very personal for many. The outcome could go in several different directions. One is to simply quit.
Most research on employee turnover says the same thing
To this day, nothing has changed since former Gallup CEO Jim Clifton (now chairman) identified the true reason why people quit.
The single biggest decision you make in your job—bigger than all the rest—is whom you name manager. When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not compensation, not benefits—nothing.
Employees across all job types, levels, and industries are ready to leave if their boss fails to fulfill their responsibilities. Honestly, this is a commendable choice to prevent the health hazards associated with working under a toxic manager.
Most of the main reasons people leave boil down to issues like:
- Employees feel their companies prioritize profits or revenue over how people are treated.
- They leave, or consider leaving, their jobs when they dislike their direct supervisors.
- They leave, or consider leaving, because they believe their employers don’t recruit or keep high-performing workers.
- Their companies currently lack sufficient growth opportunities to sustain them in the long term.
- They would be more satisfied if employers better utilized their skills and abilities.
- They needed to leave their current companies to advance their careers.
And, as you can see, managers have direct influence over every one of these causes for quitting. So, what gives?
Why people quit really boils down to four words
People are not valued.
When employees are not respected or valued as workers and human beings, when they are not well served or developed as individuals and professionals, when obstacles aren’t removed from their paths so they can perform effectively, and when their voices aren’t heard or are ignored, they experience disengagement as early as a few weeks into a new job.
And when that begins to happen and doesn’t change over time, you’ve lost them from the neck up. Once employees are no longer intellectually or emotionally committed to their work and have checked out, you can bet your bottom line that they’ll be updating their résumés.
—Marcel Schwantes
This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com.
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