I was reading a recent Harvard research article, that was just published, on why employees are quitting their job. Obviously in a tight labour market this topic is of great interest. As we all know high employee turnover is expensive. Studies estimate that on average, the cost of losing an employee ranges from six to nine months’ worth of that person’s salary. For technical and executive positions it can be as high as twice the employee’s annual salary. This research article outlined that notwithstanding such tight labour market, employers continue to rely on the same employee retention strategies they’ve been using for decades, even though those approaches aren’t working. This findings in this research article were based on over 15 years of research where the behavioural patterns of more than a thousand job switchers at all levels and career stages where studied.

The researched article concludes that businesses have been focused so much on challenges related to margins defence, cost-cutting and poaching by industry rivals that they haven’t addressed a more fundamental problem: the widespread failure to provide gratifying work experiences. To stick around and keep giving their best, people need meaningful work; managers and colleagues who value, respect, and trust them; and opportunities to grow, excel, and advance in their careers. They need to feel valued and cared for.

This researched article makes it clear, that many managers and their HR colleagues are beginning to understand that employee experience matters for hiring and retention but for many it is not yet clear on what such an employee experience should look like or how to provide it. Some workplaces invest heavily in wellness benefits and initiatives, with mixed results. Others try (and in many cases struggle) to create effective mentoring or learning and training programs— these are good efforts but could go wrong if you first  do not clearly identify what employees want from such learning and training efforts.

Let us first focus on the employee experience. Trying to retain employees without understanding what motivates them as individuals is like grabbing a hammer out of your toolbox when what you need to get the job done is a screwdriver. The study has gone through identifying the the most common functional, social, and emotional forces that compel employees to switch jobs i.e. The Push and Pull of a Job Switch.

The end result was that current job circumstances can push employees away, but people tend to stay put until they’re also pulled toward something appealing, whereby this study identified the below most common pushes and pulls leading to a job move:

Pushes:

• I don’t respect or trust the people I work with.
• I feel that the work I’m doing has little or no impact on the company, the world, or my life.
• The way I’m managed day-to-day is wearing me down.
• My current company is struggling, and the end feels near.
• I feel disrespected or not trusted.
• I’ve reached a personal milestone in my life.
• I’ve reached a milestone in my job or career.
• My work is dominating my life, and I sacrifice myself or my family to get things done.
• I am challenged beyond my ability, logic, or ethics.
• I feel unchallenged or bored in my current work.
• I can’t see where to go or how to grow in my current organisation (or progress will take too long or be – too hard).
• I feel that I’ve been on my own, ignored, and unsupported at work for a long time.

Pulls:-

• I can have more time to spend with others outside work.
• My values and beliefs will align with the company and the people I work with.
• My job will fit into my existing personal life.
• I can reset my life and start over.
• I can acquire the skills I need for a future job or career.
• I can be acknowledged, respected, and trusted to do great work.
• I can find an employer who values my experience and credentials.
• I and others will see my job as a step forward.
• I will have the freedom and flexibility to do my best work.
• I can be recognized for the impact of my work on other people and the business.
• I will have a supportive boss who guides me and provides constructive feedback.
• I can be part of a tight-knit team or community that I can count on.
• I can be challenged, grow, and learn on the job.
• I will be in a job that I know I can do and not feel at risk.
• I can support my growing personal responsibilities.
• I can have more time for me.
  

In essence this means that negative experiences (doing work that feels empty, for example, or disliking one’s colleagues), along with changing life circumstances (such as moving or having kids), pushed individuals away from their old roles, while the potential for positive experiences elsewhere pulled them toward something new. Those forces work together.

And here comes the second research finding. In all the interviews, surveys and discussions done as part of this research, the researches concluded that again and again employees who quit their jobs do so because they aren’t making the progress they seek in their careers and lives. This basically means that business leaders can’t reasonably blame all their human capital troubles on the economic or competitive challenges of the day.

By supporting people in their personal quests for progress—in ways that meet the organisation’s needs—managers can, the research suggests, create employee experiences that are mutually beneficial.

Here comes the most interesting part in my view. From all the data gathered in this research, career moves were primarily driven by four quests. These are:-

1. Just Get out. People who experience a classic fight-or-flight response are often being managed in a way that wears them down. They may feel stuck in a dead-end job or be in over their heads. Many face steep obstacles (such as a toxic culture, a role that’s a bad fit, or an awful commute) that prevent them from putting their capabilities to good use. For whatever reason, they’re strongly at odds with their work environment. They want a new job to rescue them from their current one.
2. Regain control. It’s common for people to feel overwhelmed (or bored) at work, at home, or both. Some need a rebalance. Others simply want more predictability or flexibility in when and where they work. Unlike employees desperate to get out, control seekers aren’t searching for the nearest escape hatch. They usually feel pretty good about their overall trajectory but not so good about the speed at which they are moving. They tend to hold off on switching until they find a job that will give them agency over their work environment.
3. Regain alignment. Most people seeking alignment feel a profound lack of respect at work and are hunting for a job where their skills and experience will be more fully utilised, appreciated and acknowledged. Lacking such validation, they often have a dark outlook and fixate on the many ways their current role doesn’t play to what they have to offer or what they wish to contribute. In their search for something new, they typically gravitate toward an environment where they believe they won’t be underestimated or misunderstood.
4. Taking the next step. After reaching a personal or professional milestone—such as achieving a development goal, job switchers are often eager to move forward in their careers. In many cases that means taking on more responsibility. Often driven by a desire to support themselves or their families, these individuals might want better pay, a more comfortable living environment and so on. People on this quest—unlike those in the other three categories—aren’t necessarily reacting to a bad situation. They’re pursuing growth, so they may be willing to leap into the unknown.

Armed with this knowledge about quests for progress and the forces behind them, one area to work upon to reduce employee turnover, is to make sure your employees work experience is tailored in a way that helps them achieve the progress they seek.

To do so, you need to keep communication with employees alive and kicking. Possibly also doing interviews long before they head for the exit. To be honest, as a side note, I believe that exit interviews can be a bit of a joke. People usually assume it’s too late to address why they are leaving—so they say safe things and move on.

It is far more more productive to interview employees about their roles well before they even think of leaving. Such interviews needs to based on prodding for details, like an investigative journalist, while also approaching the conversation with empathy.

It is essential that businesses look at offering a job experience and not just a job. If you offer just a job, than do not be surprised that employees will treat it as such, as just a way to pay their bills. You need to inspire people for them to be able to do more and for longer.