Employees May be Leaving the Job They Love

 Life is too short to hate your job. That’s what we were all told growing up and as a Millennial, we were programmed to believe we must love what we do in order to excel. Unfortunately, 60 percent of millennials are quitting the jobs they thought were the ones of their dreams. Even more, many are leaving their positions within the first three years or less. That turnover is costing companies money, time and confidence.

With that stat in mind, what can be done to curb employees from leaving ? First and foremost, consider yourrole in their career at your office.

Employees Quit Leaders

In fact, 75 percent are quitting managers, not their job. It’s not comfortable to think about, but it is true and something a company leader needs to know. Greg Savage, an established global leader of the recruitment industry, admits that in the beginning of his career as a leader, it was easy to point fingers. When an employee quits, the first response is to look for what is wrong with them or what they could be thinking.

As a human, it’s okay to have those initial thoughts, but the next step is to learn from the loss.

“When they talk about “morale,” when they say, “communication is poor,” when they express frustration at the lack of clarity for their career progression — they are telling you that it’s the leaders they are leaving.” –Greg Savage

It’s Not Completely Hopeless

Chances are there has been a time when personality is all that got in the way. You can’t please everyone and that’s just a life thing, but there if you’re seeing a pattern in employees leaving for reasons similar to those above, you may need to consider some new habits.

Be Authentic

Nowadays, being genuine is a huge morale concern. It’s become an increasingly bigger factor in the happiness a millennial has in the company. To be authentic is to be transparent to applicants, honest about problems with employees and open to hearing the suggestions of both.

Fortunately, this is something that a leader can change right away. In meetings, open the floor to comments and suggestions and ask how your team is doing on projects. For applicants, look at your job descriptions. Are you revealing enough about the position? There may be some things you aren’t able to divulge, but being honest will always help build the trustworthiness of the company.

Encourage Success if You Want to See it

When an employee enters the office, the last thing they want is to hate being there. Unfortunately, as numbers show, this may be the case a majority of the time. Fixing this feeling probably won’t happen over night, but there are definitely some ways to go about encouraging a happier workplace.

Again, the fastest way to get on the right track is to start with the leader. Check your attitude. Do you enter the office with a less than pleasant demeanor? Well, there’s definitely been a case building for workplace optimism. Simply bringing your smile to the office can make a difference.

You should also be communicating with your employees. Address the challenges your team is facing. That doesn’t mean you need to divulge all problems and the little intricate pieces that you are working on (not right away at least). Think of your office as a little community and you are the public relations official, because honestly, in a time of hardship, that’s exactly what you are.

Being a leader is hard, but no one ever said it would be a walk in the park. As a leader, you have to wear many faces and, above all, realize that you are sometimes the problem. Improving yourself will improve your team.

What do you do to keep your office running smoothly?