Last week I wrote 17% of Your Team Is Looking For Another Job. It was based on an article by Motley Fool. 17% doesn’t seem like a lot, but if we round it up to 20%, now we are talking about one out of every five people at your company is actively looking for a different employer.
ONE OUT OF FIVE
That is a lot.
If you were doing such a great job, as an executive or manager, then why is one out of five looking to go somewhere else?
In that post I talk about your company culture, and how improving your culture can change those numbers. Think about it: how much does it cost you to lose 1/5th of your team, regularly? Some of that is hard costs. If you’ve had to replace someone you weren’t planning on replacing, the headache can be worse than the hard costs.
You know what concerns me more than that 17%, though? The other 83%.
There are definitely people who are happy where they are, great contributors, and loyal to your vision. But I know there are plenty of people, from the 83% who “aren’t looking,” who might be worse than the 17% that is looking.
These are people who may have just given up. They might be like my old colleague Hank, who came to work loyally, but spent the entire time trying to not do any work. He spent more effort and energy trying to avoid work than he would have spent actually doing his job. Or they might be like my old colleague Mary who did a great job – exactly what was expected of her – but talked bad about the organization, the boss, and even the team every minute she could. She was there for a paycheck, but if you ever caught wind of her complaints you would never want to work there. She was a horrid brand ambassador.
Whether a good chunk of the 83% has given up, or are just doing the minimum, or don’t want to rock the boat (read: give you honest feedback), I’d dare say this large group of your workforce isn’t necessarily helping you with your long-term goals.
And you know what? I can’t really blame them. From not feeling appreciated to getting passed over for promotions unfairly, from water cooler gossip to lack of recognition, from bad management to poor communication and changing projects, there is plenty to be unhappy about.
Look, we get it. Every company, every organization has their things. The reality is that your team, especially the workers “in the trenches,” are not oblivious to the problems. And you know what? They can be forgiving! If they know you are aware of issues, and working on them, and trying to make the work environment and opportunities better, they can be forgiving.
Be transparent. Be human. Communicate well. These are three keys to building a sustainable and strong culture.
Strong culture doesn’t mean no problems. But when your team lacks confidence in your ability to see the problems, and work towards solutions, or even be honest about the problems, then you have a problem.
Some (17%) will actively look at leaving. Others (83%) are not sitting around thrilled with their situation. Just because they aren’t actively looking doesn’t mean you have won them over.
Culture Matters. It really does.
And we want to be your culture partner. Let’s get on a call and talk about your culture, and our tools and philosophies. We’d love to be a part of winning your employees over.
