Why Did Employees Leave – And What Got Them To Return?
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

Do you know what caused your employees to leave? And more importantly, do you know what has enticed employees to return to worksites? These are the two most essential questions nearly every business (including MACNY members) ask. The answers may surprise you!

McKinsey conducted a recent study that offers insights into this topic. The leading answers for why employees left organizations include:

• Uncaring leaders.
• Unsustainable work performance expectations.
• Lack of career development and advancement potential.
• Lack of meaningful work.
• Lack of support for employee health and well-being.
• Lack of workplace flexibility.
• Unreliable and unsupportive people at work.
• Only one, inadequate total compensation package, was related to wages – and it was tied for last on the list of top reasons.

As for those taking a job, workplace flexibility was the number one reason when asked for the top three reasons for doing so—followed by compensation at number two. The rest of the leading answers, like the reasons for leaving, have to do with leadership and the workplace culture. Now more than ever, the quality of the workplace culture attracts new employees to your business. So, the critical question is, do you even know your workplace culture? And if so, how are you improving it given the ongoing difficulty of hiring staff – especially essential technical and skilled labor? One solution offered at MACNY is to conduct a workplace culture audit. In the audit, you see how you are doing with your current team in critical work areas. We can also help you create a plan of action, train, and guide team members to make meaningful changes and help you monitor success. We can also help you find new individuals looking for a new job or career opportunities.

These are issues that we are helping members with daily. And our team at MACNY is working with members who are successful at hiring and keeping talent to craft solutions that work in finding and creating the talent you (and other MACNY members) need. We are excited to share these solutions with you. If you are interested in learning more, please email [email protected] or reach out to me directly at [email protected].

Talent shortages will not be going away. They are here to stay. What we as leaders do about them will be the key to growing our businesses and being successful in the future.