Why employees really leave

Knowing that, says Dr. Laurie Cure, will help you keep them

- Damien Martin

At any given moment, half your employees are watching for or actively seeking a new job. They aren't leaving in the record numbers they did right after the Covid pandemic during the Great Resignation, but for organizations that want to keep their best talent, it's important to understand why people leave their jobs. What's missing that they think they can find elsewhere?

"Things changed during the last five years, and people want something different now than they did prior to that time," Dr. Laurie Cure, founder and CEO of consulting agency Innovative Connections, told BOSS.

What They Want

People want to be fairly compensated for their work, that hasn't changed. But salary is lower on the list than it used to be, Cure said. It's been joined by the desire for flexibility in working hours and locations. It's also been joined by a desire for the organization's values and purpose to align with the employee's. CSR is often among the chief reasons an employee will choose or remain with an organization.

"If there's two equally good opportunities, the alignment to purpose and values is going to supersede for one opportunity versus the other," Cure said.

People might not take significantly less money to work for an organization they believe in, but it will absolutely be a determining factor when all other things are equal. They'll also choose the place that offers them better work-life balance.

"What's hard is companies are thinking that there's a one size fits all. So, they're thinking that everybody needs to come into the office, or everybody needs to be hybrid, as opposed to saying that everyone has different needs for flexibility."