A woman is packing up her office belongings as she leaves her job.
Image: © bignai/Stock.adobe.com

9 common reasons why employees quit their jobs

12 Nov 2020

At a time when people management is everything, businesses should pay attention to some of the factors that could push their workers away.

Covid-19 has impacted people management in many ways. While some companies have had to let staff go during the past few months, others have had to help employees transition to new ways of working.

For employees, working from home may have given people more scope to decide where they’ll work in future. Although travel restrictions are in place across the country at the moment, some are looking forward to having remote work as an option in the long term and, as a result, getting to live somewhere else.

Others have been put on fewer hours or have more time to spend on upskilling now that a commute isn’t necessary, and might be considering a new role or working in a different field altogether. So, although it can seem like everything is uncertain at the moment, the reality is that the pandemic has opened up new opportunities for a lot of people. And there are still plenty of companies that are hiring around Ireland, such as Pfizer, TikTok and Overstock.

At the end of the day, however, there are all sorts of reasons for employees quitting. So now is the time to invest in your staff where possible, whether that’s through embracing diversity, including them in conversations and decisions, giving them the resources to upskill, or leading with honesty and compassion.

You can roll out all kinds of business continuity initiatives to come out the other side of this extraordinary time, but you won’t get very far without your people.

We recently looked at some of the issues workers care about right now, including pay equity, work-life balance and the climate crisis. So, at this pivotal moment in people management, it’s a good idea to stay informed about why your workers could be leaving.

CareerAddict has outlined some common reasons for employees quitting based on a survey of almost 1,000 people. This includes not getting opportunities for progression, being denied a well-deserved raise and missing out on flexible working.

Infographic showing nine common reasons for employees quitting.

Click to enlarge. Infographic: Career Addict

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Lisa Ardill
By Lisa Ardill

Lisa Ardill joined Silicon Republic as senior careers reporter in July 2019. She has a BA in neuroscience and a master’s degree in science communication. She is also a semi-published poet and a big fan of doggos. Lisa briefly served as Careers Editor at Silicon Republic before leaving the company in June 2021.

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