Refusal usually not a decision to be taken lightly. If you don’t have a new job lined up yet, it’s a huge risk to abandon ship. But if you’re fed up with your boss, your salary, your workload, or your colleaguessometimes it pays to just say “sayonara!”
However, mass employee turnover can be extremely stressful for managers who value their teams. That’s why one creative director recently reached out to subreddit Managers looking for advice on how to convince his employees not to quit just yet. Below you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the suggestions shared by readers.
This manager had to miss several days of work while on bereavement leave
Image Credits: faxes / Pexels (not the actual photo)
But when he returned, he found his entire team on the verge of giving up
Image Credits: Kampus Production / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ChickenUsual6622
Image Credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Managing a team is never easy
As a manager definitely not an easy job. You constantly have to make decisions, delegate tasks, ensure that your employees respect you but still feel comfortable, and you are required to be the link between senior staff and your own team. You may develop strong relationships with your employees, but you should be careful not to get too comfortable with them, as you should not show special treatment to anyone or allow team members to take advantage of your kindness.
Managers they should listen to their employees’ concerns and do their best to respond to employee input, but it’s impossible to please everyone. Difficult decisions will arise often, and it is important for managers to know how to adjust their leadership style based on who they are working with and what their goals are.
A manager must also provide feedback to their workers that is relevant, timely and useful, and they are required to ensure that everyone is fulfilling their responsibilities. It is also important for managers to know when to ask for help. Whether that means reaching out to HR or seeking guidance or resources from your own boss, a good manager knows they won’t always have the answers.
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More than half of employees quit because of their boss
Another one of the most challenging aspects of managing a team is trying to keep everyone happy so they stay for a while. According to Inc, a whopping 86% of employees decide within their first six months of a new job whether they want to stay long-term. First impressions matter and there is no time to waste when it comes to keeping employees happy.
And if you want to keep your team happy, you better be a great boss. Research by DDI reported that 57% of workers quit because they didn’t like their manager, and 14% of employees did so multiple times. Meanwhile, a third of workers seriously considered quitting because they were unhappy with their manager.
It’s disappointing to know that there are so many bad managers out there, but it’s not surprising when you find out that 70% of front-line managers admit that they didn’t really expect to be promoted to a leadership position. Nearly a fifth of managers actually regret their promotions, and 41% admit they’re not sure if it was the right move or not.
Image Credits: faxes / Pexels (not the actual photo)
It’s important to prioritize employee satisfaction before it’s too late
According to Thomas Griffin, employees who leave because of a bad manager usually make the decision to move on because their boss refuses to lead by example, doesn’t offer support or recognition, and fails to communicate effectively. Other management issues that can push employees out are micromanaging and promoting an unhealthy work environment.
It is wise for bosses to be aware of some of the signs that an employee is about to leave so they can try to do something before it really is too late. High turnover rates are expensive, frustrating, time and resource consuming, and frankly not a good look for business. So it’s best to focus on keeping employees happy.
If a team member starts taking more time than usual, shows reluctance to commit to long-term projects, starts becoming active on LinkedIn, avoids social events at work, starts taking more personal calls, or makes unrealistic requests, managers should realize that the fact that they may give up soon, Home base explains. It may be too late to change their mind, but a concerned manager should not hesitate to reach out for help.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this situation below, pandas. Next, if you’re interested in checking out another article discussing why employees leave, we recommend reading on this article the next one!
The creative director later responded to the comments and provided more information about the situation
Readers weighed in on the story and shared suggestions for what the manager could do next
