Why Do Good Employees Leave?

Satisfying Employee Needs ~ by Keith Ayers ~

We Pay Them Don't We?

I recall presenting this model to the Personnel Manager of P and O Cruises in Australia over 20 years ago, and his response was: "Why do we have to satisfy their needs; we pay them don't we?" Now, I know this was over 20 years ago, but how many managers do you know today, who still operate by that basic belief? I'm talking about managers who believe, that employees are primarily motivated by money, and don't think about the basic human needs other than money.




People need to feel respected and valued; to be listened to, and know that their opinion counts. They need to use their strengths and creativity to make a difference, and to receive recognition when they do. People have a need to be trusted, and to work for a leader they can trust and respect. People have a need to do meaningful work - to know that even if their job is routine or mundane, they know why it is important to their organization's success.

Look at the needs in this paragraph. They do not cost money! They cost you time and effort, and require you to focus on doing them, but the payoff is far greater than you could ever achieve with financial incentives.

It's Not About the Money!

Although almost 90 percent of managers believe employees leave for more money, The Saratoga Institute research shows that 88 percent of already - departed employees say it was for reasons other than money. This discrepancy in belief about why employees leave is not entirely the manager's fault. A full 79 percent of employees who leave because their needs and expectations were not being met have NOT TOLD their manager they were unhappy.

And when you ask them why they are leaving, they are very unlikely to say they worked for a lousy manager, who didn't care about heir needs - especially not to their manager! Their response will most likely be "I was offered more money!" And they were. Talented people know their value and in most cases won't accept another position unless there's a better offer. But, that is not the reason they became disenchanted and started looking for another job

It Is About Your Focus

It's probably accurate to say that every manager is under a lot of pressure to get work done and achieve results, so naturally, you need to focus on ensuring that is happening. And this is where the tyranny of the "or" comes in, as Jim Collins and Jerry Porras described in the block-buster book Built to Last.

You don't have a choice of focusing on achieving results OR focusing on satisfying employees' needs. Your have the choice to focus on achieving results AND satisfying employees' needs. The mountain of research that has been collected over the past ten to fifteen years is clear evidence that when, all managers use the people skill of Satisfying Needs, the results your organization does achieve will far exceed what you can achieve by just focusing on business results. ~ Keith Ayers

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