Why do good employees leave?  Countless polls have been conducted in attempt to answer this most pressing question.  Although answers vary, poor compensation, poor management, poor recognition, and poor communication are almost always among the most popular responses.  Thousands of articles and entire books have been devoted to the subject of employee retention – the following are just a few suggestions from the common employee’s point of view. 

Why I left: Poor compensation

How the company could have kept me: 

Most employees gauge whether or not they’re being compensated fairly by conducting their own online research.  Visiting sites like Salary.com can give you a great deal of insight into how your employees will be justifying their request for a raise.  Hold six month reviews EVERY six months and be sure to conduct your own prior research.  Then, you’ll know what to expect and be able to provide reasons for your approval or denial that employees can relate to.

Why I left:  Poor management

How the company could have kept me:

Employ an open-door policy in your complaint department. Make it easy for employees to submit their complaints about management anonymously.  Simply allowing employees a place to vent their frustration can go a long way in making them feel their voices count.  Now, make sure those voices DO count by keeping track of complaints and incorporating them into managers’ evaluations.  Then, tie managers’ compensation to improvements in issues like leadership and communication.

Why I left:  Poor recognition

How the company could have kept me:

Make room in your budget – no matter how small – for small rewards like gift certificates to fast food restaurants, movie theaters and gas cards.  Even the smallest thank you can make the biggest difference in the way an employee feels he or she is valued.  When an employee feels appreciated, it’s likely he or she will have a greater personal connection to the company and will do more to help ensure its success.

Why I left:  Poor communication

How the company could have kept me:

Make employees feel included in business goals by providing them with consistent status updates about the company and its current business efforts.  When an employee knows what he or she is ultimately working towards, it gives meaning to everyday tasks and more clearly defines individual goals. 

These may seem like obvious solutions to employee retention, but is your company employing them?

Brian Weis
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Brian Weis is the President of Recruiters Network, The Association for Internet Recruiting. He has over 10 years of recruiting, contract recruiting and internet recruiting experience.