The real reason your people are leaving

Turnover isn’t a PEOPLE issue. It’s a CULTURE issue.

Recently, I’ve been hearing the same complaint from business leaders: “Even with things slowing down and the unemployment rate rising, I still have people jumping ship and leaving.  What’s the matter with these people?!”

It’s not your people. It’s your culture.

This Gallup survey offers some important insights.

Consider remote workers:

• 57% are looking for or open to new jobs.
• If they’re engaged at work, that drops to 47%.
• If engaged and thriving, only 38% are job hunting.

What Does That Mean for You?

A culture that focuses on engagement AND thriving reduces turnover.

Engagement without wellbeing is a short-term win. Wellbeing without engagement is a missed opportunity.

Focus on engagement and wellbeing. BOTH matter.

Together, they create sustainable performance and long-term commitment. Engagement keeps employees energized and wanting to do the work for your organization. Wellbeing keeps them loyal, increasing retention. Leaders must build a culture that attends to both.

Next Steps

• Embrace the advantages of flexibility and autonomy. Flexibility and autonomy are not a right; they are a privilege that comes with high performance. Use flexibility and autonomy as a cultural reward. Offer it to high performers who can maintain their high performance as part of a team.  
• Address isolation by creating intentional social interactions. Ensure that teams remain flexible, alternating time in and out of the workplace and having intentional time for socialization. Humans are social animals. We can expect that spontaneous socialization happens just because people are working together in the same company or on the same project. Make intentional socialization a cultural ritual, particularly for flexible and/or remote teams.
• Make wellbeing a cultural priority, not a perk. Take a genuine interest in your people.  Get to know them and what’s important to them outside of work. If you’re thinking, “But I really don’t care what’s going on in their outside world,” get curious. For their benefit. For your benefit. For the benefit of your team and organization.

When employees feel connected and cared for, they don’t just stay, they thrive. And thriving makes all the difference.

I’d love to hear your questions and comments. If you would like to discuss this topic further, just drop me a note.