Why people quit their job - Business Works
BW brief

Why people quit their job

Kevin Young, GM EMEA. Skillsoft poll of UK CEOs has uncovered that nearly three quarters (73%) cite personal issues, including stress, as the main reason for their employees changing jobs – above pay (34%) and job dissatisfaction (19%).

The research, commissioned by Skillsoft, also found that a lack of opportunities came near the bottom of the list, with only 7% of respondents feeling this was cause for concern and a key reason why employees leave the company. These findings suggest that, in most cases, reasons for employees leaving may go beyond just pay and progression, with undisclosed 'personal issues' having more of an affect on happiness in a role than managers may realise.

"Many managers only find out an employee is unhappy in their role and the reasons for that on the day they leave or hand in their notice," said Kevin Young, General Manager, EMEA at Skillsoft. "By this time it is often too late to rectify the situation and do anything to keep a valued member of staff."

"Personal reasons can include a wealth of issues that impact upon a person’s ability to do their job effectively. The findings highlighted areas where companies can use training to help staff remain happy and motivated in their work. By ensuring that each employee has their own, tailored training programme and an opportunity to voice any concerns, employers can feel confident that they are giving staff every opportunity to succeed, despite other personal pressures they may be under."

"Bosses’ perspectives on why people leave proved extremely interesting. The majority of CEOs questioned believed personal issues were the main reason for employees leaving the company. A third admitted that staff left because of unhappiness with pay and a fifth cited work / life balance as the main factor driving people out of the company. A small, but significant 10% said the main cause of departure was stress."

Exits due to pay, work / life balance and stress were more likely to affect companies with more than 750 employees. For example, in firms with between 750 and 1000 employees, around half (49%) of all departures were believed to be due to dissatisfaction with pay and nearly a fifth (19%) due to stress.

"The prevalence of 'personal issues' across all size groups could simply mean that CEOs didn’t know why someone had left. Alternatively, it could be symptomatic of a deeperissue with interpersonal or line management relationships that employees feel unable to admit to or address, preferring to just leave. If true, this highlights some important training-related issues such as a lack of appropriate management skills, the need for softer skills enhancement and appropriate employee support structures. These are not currently areas of priority for most businesses when it comes to recruitment. A change of attitude, as well as practice, is probably well overdue."

"Businesses are starting to recognise the value of providing staff with resources and training related to well-being, by offering help and advice on both professional and personal issues. Indeed, in 2012 use of Skillsoft’s Well-Being Essentials book collection found that titles about boosting self-confidence and motivation, as well as how to get more done in less time were popular reads," concluded Kevin.


A detailed analysis of the research can be found in the latest Skillsoft whitepaper entitled 'CEO perspectives on people: leadership, recruitment and skills' which can be downloaded here.

For more information about Skillsoft, please visit: www.skillsoft.com




Tweet article
BW on TwitterBW RSS feed