I bet you didn’t think THIS would be the reason why people were leaving…..
Last year, a recruitment firm approached me and expressed how difficult it was to find staff (this was a short term project, not a current retained client). They complained that there is just not a lot of people on the market, and current employees were leaving for competitors.
AND, they had only ONE employee in the prospecting department and they just couldn’t afford to lose him. It would cost them more than £100,000!
So, I introduced exit interviews for all voluntary leavers. I wanted to know why people were leaving especially since the company was well known and respected by both employees and clients alike.
I conducted a 3 stage assessment process:
1. GATHER FACTS
↳ What’s the current position. How many in each dept and what’s the revenue of each
↳ Cost of leavers
2. INTERVIEWS
↳ What’s the thoughts and opinions of the current workforce
3. JUDGEMENT
↳ What have we learned from this process? What are the underlying causes?
↳ Is this an economical trend, is the industry itself suffering? I had to rule posisbilties out
Here’s what I found:
➜ Employees loved the benefits and bonuses paid
➜ They loved their team members and enjoyed working for the company
➜ The offices were aesthetically pleasing and the staffroom was always well stocked
SO WHAT WAS THE ISSUE?
➜ Employees felt detached from the managers although they spoke highly of them
➜ Some didn’t even speak to their line managers so had no clue as to there they will fit in the company as it goes through its period of growth
➜ 1:1 reviews did not take place at all and employees felt like they turned up, hit targets, made commission but wanted more than the money (everyone was paid well)
So with all the brilliant company benefits and good salary packets, employees wanted more meaningful connections at work. This client wouldn’t have known this had it not been for the findings from the exit interviews.
This goes to show the importance of opening meaningful communication with employee in all roles and levels. Do this, or be prepared to lose THOUSANDS.
Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.
