Why People Leave
A staggering number of Americans have left their job in the last few years and even more startling, many have left without a new job in hand. If you’re in a hiring role, you’ve probably been feeling the pressure- according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of current job openings (10.9 million) far exceeds the number of new hires (6.3 million).
Is Kim K right? Do people just not want to work anymore?
Unsurprisingly, no. McKinsey recently polled 600 people who left their jobs without a new one in hand and here’s what they had to say-
The top 3 reasons why people left are:
- Uncaring Leaders
- Unsustainable work performance expectations
- Lack of professional development, career advancement opportunities
This data reiterates what we have seen in the professional development field- people are upset, they’re overworked and they feel like the people who are supposed to lead/support them simply do not care that they are burnt out. Furthermore, working yourself to the bone doesn’t result in personal advancement or development so… what’s the point?
We ran a similar poll on our LinkedIn page and the overwhelming majority of respondents said that unrealistic expectations were the reason they left a job- essentially corporate speak for burnout. It’s a risky move, leaving a job without another one lined up, but that’s what many are doing. While this is partially rooted in a robust labor market, it’s also an indictment of workplace cultures that dehumanize the very people that make up their companies. Businesses may think that they’re saving money by not investing in leadership training and the development of their employees, but really they’re just setting themselves up to be on the wrong side of a very expensive problem.
