Why Do They Quit?

Your favorite team member just walked up to you and announced that she wants to quit. You feel a rush of anger creeping up your spine. Here is the person for whom you went out on a limb and got an extra bonus payout and not to forget the schmoozing time with the big cheese that you spent highlighting this team member's achievements. As they say in T-Group labs, "This is the time to get in touch with your feelings." You feel betrayed. Relax, you are not alone. Most People Managers have experienced this moment in their career. Focus on what prompted this decision.

Push Factor vs Pull Factors

An exit interview can be a powerful tool to ensure that wrinkles in the organization get ironed. During the interview focus on the Push Factors.

When the initial emotions have settled down, managers get into a discussion around what prompted the person to leave. There could be push factors, for example, feelings of being treated unfairly or inequitably around salary, bonus, increments or assignments etc. Sometimes a resignation is an employee's way of protesting against unfulfilling work conditions or even a statement against the corporation's values. The list of reasons could go on. The Push factors are all internal to the existing employer. Of all the push factors, the most popular one is around Manager Quality. "People don't leave organizations, they leave managers." The managers' ability to know the company policies, basic HR processes eg performance management, career development etc and skills like giving feedback, being a career coach etc can be the biggest reason for an employee to stay or quit the organization. There could as well be Push Factors that are intangible. These could be the culture, the employer brand and many other things that never make it to the Letter of Appointment.  

The Pull Factors are those which are external to the current employer. The Pull factor also gives insights on the organization's culture. If the prospective employer fulfils the unmet need, it creates a pull. Every push factor has the potential to be a pull that could take your best employee away from you. The pull factor is very often a leap of faith. The prospective employee believes that the new employer will meet the unfulfilled need (while keep all the good stuff of the previous employer intact!!). Every employment contract is a package deal. You get some you lose some.

What You Do Not See Is What You Get

 The stuff that is intangible is very often that matters in the long run. After expenses have risen to match the new salary, there is a sober realization of things that do not exist on the offer letter. If the tangible stuff is what attracts the employees, it is the intangibles that retain and engage the company's top talent. One of the big intangibles is around the company's culture. Every organization follows the unwritten code that immediately strikes the newbie. These are the unspoken norms around what is done and what is not done. From the dress code at work to what behavior is expected of the role and how the organization treats its achievers - all of it together forms the culture in which an employee thrives or suffocates. Every organization's statements of Values, Mission etc sounds noble. If they all followed them in letter and spirit, nobody would go to bed hungry in this world. These are always intended behavior. The employees through their own actions impact the very culture in which they thrive or wilt. Advise the employees to use the swimming pool principle. Keep the water clean. You swim there too.