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People leave jobs for all sorts of reasons—some good and some bad. As an employer, it’s easy to only think about resignations as a negative thing—something that reflects poorly on your retention rate. However, I think that when making an assessment about retention it pays to take a closer look at the reasons why employees are leaving, and to categorize them as such.
Reasons why people resign that don’t necessarily reflect badly on their companies:
- People want change. Some people want change and seek a job shift every few years. This may say more about their patience than it does about the kind of work environment you’ve created. For some, the change is in response to their current work but again that doesn’t have to be a bad thing—perhaps this job clarified their true calling for them. Isn’t it good when people figure out what it is they’re here to do in this world?
- People outgrow their positions. This isn’t a bad thing. Not everyone can move up—perhaps you don’t have more advanced positions in which employees can move, or perhaps your employees are ready to do work on a greater scale. This may not mean that your company is a bad place to work.
- People figure out what they want to do and need more education to do it. If you hire someone and while working at your company she decides she wants to be in leadership but needs further education to get there, her resigning for higher education should not reflect badly on your company. Rather, you may have inspired her to go back to school because she is working towards getting to do the work she sees others doing in your company.
Although poor retention is not good for a company and often indicates some unhealthy work cultures and corporate practices, it’s important to remember that many people leave companies with no ill will about the company or the role.