9 Things Managers Do
That Make Good Employees Quit
It’s pretty incredible how often you hear managers complaining about their best
employees leaving, and they really do have something to complain about-few
things are as costly and disruptive as good people walking out the door.
Managers tend to blame their turnover problems on everything under the sun,
while ignoring the crux of the matter: people don’t leave jobs; they leave
managers. The sad thing is that this can easily be avoided. All that’s required
is a new perspective and some extra effort on the manager’s part. First, we
need to understand the nine worst things that managers do that send good
people packing.
1. They overwork
people.
Nothing burns good
employees out quite like overworking them. It’s so tempting to work your best
people hard that managers frequently fall into this trap. Overworking good
employees is perplexing; it makes them feel as if they’re being punished for
great performance. Overworking employees is also counterproductive. New
research from Stanford shows that productivity per hour declines sharply when
the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55
hours that you don’t get anything out of working more.
If you must increase how much work your talented employees are doing, you’d better increase their status as well. Talented employees will take on a bigger workload, but they
won’t stay if their job suffocates them in the process. Raises, promotions, and
title-changes are all acceptable ways to increase workload. If you simply
increase workload because people are talented, without changing a thing, they
will seek another job that gives them what they deserve.
2. They don’t recognize
contributions and reward good work.
It’s easy to
underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers
who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those
who work hard and give their all. Managers need to communicate with their
people to find out what makes them feel good (for some, it’s a raise; for
others, it’s public recognition) and then to reward them for a job well done.
With top performers, this will happen often if you’re doing it right.
3. They don’t care
about their employees.
More than half of
people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their
boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being
professional with being human. These are the bosses who celebrate an employee’s
success, empathize with those going through hard times, and challenge people,
even when it hurts. Bosses who fail to really care will always have
high turnover rates. It’s impossible to work for someone eight-plus hours a day
when they aren’t personally involved and don’t care about anything other than
your production yield.
4. They don’t honor
their commitments.
Making promises to
people places you on the fine line that lies between making them very happy and
watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the
eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and
honorable (two very important qualities in a boss). But when you disregard your
commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful. After all,
if the boss doesn’t honor his or her commitments, why should everyone else?
5. They hire and
promote the wrong people.
Good, hard-working
employees want to work with like-minded professionals. When managers don’t do
the hard work of hiring good people, it’s a major demotivator for those stuck
working alongside them. Promoting the wrong people is even worse. When you work
your tail off only to get passed over for a promotion that’s given to someone
who glad-handed their way to the top, it’s a massive insult. No wonder it makes
good people leave.
6. They don’t let
people pursue their passions.
Talented employees are
passionate. Providing opportunities for them to pursue their passions improves
their productivity and job satisfaction. But many managers want people to work
within a little box. These managers fear that productivity will decline if they
let people expand their focus and pursue their passions. This fear is
unfounded. Studies show that people who are able to pursue their passions at
work experience flow, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more
productive than the norm.
7. They fail to develop
people’s skills.
When managers are asked
about their inattention to employees, they try to excuse themselves, using
words such as “trust,” “autonomy,” and “empowerment.” This is complete
nonsense. Good managers manage, no matter how talented the employee. They pay
attention and are constantly listening and giving feedback.
Management may have a
beginning, but it certainly has no end. When you have a talented employee,
it’s up to you to keep finding areas in which they can improve to expand their
skill set. The most talented employees want feedback—more so than the less
talented ones—and it’s your job to keep it coming. If you don’t, your best
people will grow bored and complacent.
8. They fail to engage
their creativity.
The most talented
employees seek to improve everything they touch. If you take away their
ability to change and improve things because you’re only comfortable with the
status quo, this makes them hate their jobs. Caging up this innate desire
to create not only limits them, it limits you.
9. They fail to
challenge people intellectually.
Great bosses challenge
their employees to accomplish things that seem inconceivable at first. Instead
of setting mundane, incremental goals, they set lofty goals that push people
out of their comfort zones. Then, good managers do everything in their power to
help them succeed. When talented and intelligent people find themselves doing
things that are too easy or boring, they seek other jobs that will challenge
their intellects.
Bringing it all
together
If you want your best
people to stay, you need to think carefully about how you treat them. While
good employees are as tough as nails, their talent gives them an abundance of
options. You need to make them want to work for you.
Keterangan :
- Kalimat yang diberi
cetak tebal (bold) merupakan contoh kalimat conditional sintence (if
clause).
- Kalimat yang diberi
warna merah (red) merupakan contoh kalimat yang menggunakan
present tense.
- Kalimat yang diberi
warna biru (blue) merupakan contoh kalimat yang menggunakan present
perfect tense.
