Keeping Employees From Quitting

Posted by Melissa Dylan Jun 28, 2007

I’ve quit more jobs than I prefer to admit to. Part of this, admittedly, is seeking greener pastures that simply don’t exist—for awhile I wasn’t willing to accept that 40 hours of my week were devoted to doing something I’d probably prefer not to be doing if given the choice between that and, say, eating a taco at the beach. It’s true; my generation is spoiled, and it takes some of us awhile to get used to the idea that a job isn’t always going to be spectacularly fun and fulfilling. Sometimes we just need to do it, and that’s that.

But even with that understanding, I’ve found a lot of jobs not just unsatisfying (something I’m willing to deal with), but also demeaning, belittling, unrealistically demanding of time and energy, or simply not worth the financial compensation being offered. Those, to me, are still deal-breakers, and as a result I’ve still left more jobs than I’d like.

I left two jobs after they gave me unrealistic schedules, leaving me without time for a personal life.

I left more than one job after being bullied or harassed by employees or managers.

I left a job because I was doing the work of three people while earning the salary of only one.

I left a couple of jobs because the work was mind-numbingly boring and unproductive.

And I’ve left a few jobs for random reasons, such as discovering a filing cabinet full of dog crap, and being threatened by witchcraft.

All of those things could have been avoided with a little effort on the part of management. Like, for instance, stick with the schedule agreed upon during the interview process. Or, say, don’t let your dog poop in the filing cabinet.

There is a shift in our work culture these days—there are now more jobs than there are talented people available to do them. Most companies have not caught up to the shift, and feel that if one employee leaves, an even better one is probably right around the corner. This is no longer the case, and companies now must work harder than ever to strike a balance that benefits both the company, and the employees.

Keep your employees happy. Here's how:

http://workplaceculture.suite101.com/article.cfm/retain_employees