Employees Don’t Leave Companies, They Leave Their Leaders – How Surveys Can Help Retain Your Staff

It may be hard to believe but people don’t quit their jobs for the sake of the money. A professional doesn’t just give up because he had a bad day at the office. The real reason behind a resignation is management. That’s correct; when people are not feeling comfortable at work and they constantly have to deal with the bossy attitude of a cocky manager, they leave. Being appreciated at the workplace is vital for people, and if employees are not getting that vibe from their leader, they won’t hesitate to walk out that door and never look back.

Professional employees shouldn’t be afraid to admit that they quit their jobs because of poor management. Why should they? When there’s no communication at the office, no team spirit, and no cooperation, a 9 to 5 schedule can become a nightmare. It’s so simple to become frustrated at work and bring that frustration with you at home every single day. Unfortunately, a promising monthly wage is not enough to make you happy.

When leaders are responsible for the poor productivity level of a company, the career path of an employee is going nowhere. Leaders are vital in a company because their job is to keep people together, make sure they’re collaborating, and evaluate their progress. Senior managers who can’t make that happen because of an overly confident attitude should be fired. Better yet, it’s HR’s duty to find that weak link and eliminate it in order to boost productivity and ensure a pleasant work environment for employees.

Let’s start from the beginning. Managers who want to retain their employees are obligated to communicate clear expectations. Offering constant feedback and making them feel valued at the workplace is vital. When employees feel appreciated by their bosses, they feel empowered, confident in their abilities, and ready to get the job done, even if that often means they have to stay a couple of extra hours each day.

Nothing beats satisfaction at the workplace, and to achieve that, companies should pay more attention to employee surveys. These questionnaires are useless when they’re performed superficially.  It’s really important for a survey to be structured correctly. A single A4 page with a maximum number of 20 questions should suffice. It’s equally important to ask the right questions and encourage anonymity. If HR compels employees to write down their name on a survey, the answers will be useless and they’ll never manage to improve the workspace and make people feel appreciated.

How can leaders retain their employees?

Company leaders have the ability of retaining employees by developing their managerial skills. It can often be a challenge to teach mangers about the value of an employee, especially if those managers can’t value their contributions. Let’s have a closer look at some ideas that might help companies develop better leaders.

• Integrating core values about employees
• Negotiating a performance growth plan with managers and laying out expected development areas
• Offering and receiving feedback
• Coaching employee performance
• Providing a more challenging work environment
• Talking about further career development plans with employees

Benefits and extra compensations are without doubt powerful motivators. However, it’s equally important for leaders to remember that employees have emotional needs too. That’s vital when assessing employee retention strategies. The level of satisfaction someone develops from the work that they perform – together with the acknowledgment and appreciation they get from supervisors and co-workers – has a serious impact on that employee’s decision to keep working for that company or resign.

How far is your company willing to go to retain employees? Managers are the backbone of an organization. Their job is to keep the workplace organized and at the same time, productive. That can’t happen when leaders are bossy, indifferent, and overly-confident.

Employees are greatly influenced by the workplace as a standalone entity. While financial compensations are welcomed, they won’t hesitate to leave if they can’t learn anything from their leaders. Surveys can be of great assistance in that matter; however, only properly laid out questionnaires that are focused on increasing employee satisfaction will help a company thrive.