What Are the Top 10 Reasons Why Employees Quit?

Leaders are often taken by surprise when their top employees hand in their resignation forms, but if they pay attention to the warning signs, they may realize that good workers have one or more reasons to quit. Here are 10 major "last straws" that can push employees to throw in the towel.

1. Unfair Treatment

Employees who see other workers getting ahead without deserving it, whether it be through promotions or pay, find an easy reason to quit. Workers have a hard time desiring to move up in the workplace if the criteria for rewards are unclear or unfairly advantageous to certain employees.

2. Selfishness of Leaders

A strong leader seeks to build up his team, putting aside his own needs to work toward the success of the company and his employees. If workers notice that an organization's leaders only care about their own gain, they can quickly become disillusioned and start working on their resignations.

3. Being Taken for Granted

Every professional hopes to be valued for hard work and accomplishments. When an organization's leadership continually takes a great employee's strong performance for granted, this gives the employee a good reason to quit, as he is likely to seek recognition in another company.

4. Being Ignored by Managers

Managers are the front-line leaders that employees interact with on a regular basis, so if workers can't get the attention or approval of their managers, their feelings of being taken for granted are multiplied. Managers should constantly encourage and show a vested interest in their team to avoid this common reason to quit.

5. Promises Not Kept

Promises, whether they're for company improvements or work team rewards, can fill employees with hope for the future. However, broken promises can rapidly erode employee trust.

6. Corporate Politics

When companies nurture a culture of gossip, brown nosing and workplace politics instead of sincerity and empathy, good employees have a strong reason to quit. A toxic office culture can quickly suck the life out of even the most positive-minded worker.

7. Inefficient Work Processes

Talented employees become burned out when they have to jump through too many hoops to get projects approved or face other unnecessary challenges. This can make them feel like they're putting time and effort into something that isn't worthwhile.

8. Reaching a Developmental Rut

Employees seek to enrich their careers by continually learning, improving and progressing in their jobs. If a company doesn't offer any more for their more advanced workers, those workers may move on.

9. Existential Realizations

All it takes is a big life milestone or other event to make great employees realize that a certain job isn't giving them the satisfaction and purpose they crave. Organizations must offer everything to help employees meet their own professional goals as well as those of the business.

10. Exposure to Other Organizations

When employees begin to network, they may see that other organizations have more to offer. Companies must stay competitive in an internal sense to retain strong workers.

A few good employees may stick with a company despite its drawbacks, but many don't find this worth the effort. Companies should work on eliminating or reducing these major reasons to quit if they want top talent to stick around for years to come.

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