What Exit Interviews Reveal

Recognize This! – Manager challenges still lead the pack on employee reasons for leaving.

David Witt, writing in the Blanchard LeaderChat blog, recently highlighted the top 10 reasons why employees quit from the employees’ perspective. And this is very different than the employer perspective in which “9 out of 10 will tell you it’s about the money.”

From a PwC study of 19,000+ employees who completed exit interviews with PwC clients, the results are clear:



As David points out:

Quotation

“Better compensation is only a part of the reason why people leave an organization. In most cases it is a symptom of a more complex need that people have to work for an organization that is fair, trustworthy, and deserving of an individual’s best efforts. Don’t take your people for granted. While you may not be able to provide the pay increases you were able to in the past, there is nothing stopping you from showing that you care for your people, are interested in their long term development, and are committed to their careers.”

Moreover, five out of the 10 reasons are directly related to supervisor skills or lack thereof (I include recognition for contributions in this category as too often this is fully reliant on the supervisor). Indeed, employees do leave managers, not companies.

What have your reasons been for leaving organizations during your career?