Survey lists top reasons people are jumping ship – and what they tried to do first
Many employees are leaving less than a year after joining an organisation in a practice labelled as "quick quitting," according to a new report from SkyNova, an invoicing software company.
"Quick quitting has been around forever; it's not uncommon to leave a job as soon as you discover it's not a good fit — especially if you're burnt out after a short time working there," SkyNova said in a blog post.
"But perhaps quick quitting has become more common due to employees feeling empowered to ask for sufficient pay, benefits, and flexibility in the wake of the Great Resignation."
According to the SkyNova, which surveyed 500 employees and 632 managers and HR professionals, the most common causes for quick quitting include:
- Insufficient pay (54%)
- Toxic work environment (47%)
- Insufficient benefits (47%)
- Lack of communication (27%)
- Burnout (25%)
- Feeling unappreciated (22%)
- Poor company culture (17%)
- Insufficient training (17%)
- To change industries (15%)
- Found a better job (13%)
- Lack of paid time off (13%)
These reasons varied per generation, according to the report. One-quarter of Gen Z employees quit because of burnout, 27% of baby boomers left because they felt unappreciated, while 55% of millennials resigned due to insufficient benefits.
"Our research shows that about one in four workers left their job within a year due to burnout," Hannah Smith, data journalist at SkyNova, told HRD. "To help prevent that, employers and employees need to be on the same page."
Asking for a raise
However, these employees did not leave without taking action for their concerns. Before quitting, these employees:
- Asked for a raise (57%)
- Discussed issues with manager or supervisor (53%)
- Asked for better benefits (47%)
- Addressed any issues with HR (42%)
- Asked for remote work option (36%)
- Asked for more PTO (29%)
- Asked for more sick time (22%)
- Asked for special accommodations (11%)
According to the report, employees who left within a year found better benefits in their next jobs.
The report found that 57% of quick quitters saw their salaries increase, while 56% found their benefits go up.
"Millennials were the generation most likely to see a salary increase at their new job," the report said. "Gen Z were the most likely to receive better benefits at their new job."
What can employers do?
To determine what can make employees stay, SkyNova asked employees and employers and compared their answers, finding a disconnect in the response. For employees, the top reasons to make them stay would be:
- Option for hybrid work (51%)
- Sufficient sick time (50%)
- Sufficient PTO (40%)
- Option for remote work (37%)
- Sufficient health insurance (34%)
"Across all generations, hybrid or remote work was the top thing employees said would keep people working for a company," the report said.
The findings come as more employees see flexibility as a standard instead of an incentive on how they work, especially in the post-pandemic workplace.
Employers, however, see it differently. Believing that the following reasons could make employees stay longer:
- Higher pay (73%)
- Option for remote work (39%)
- Option for hybrid work (37%)
- Sufficient PTO (35%)
- Sufficient health insurance (32%)
Focusing on retention
The findings show that employers and employees "don't always see eye-to-eye" on how to retain staff.
The report urged employers to keep benefits and the workplace environment at the forefront of retention strategies to prevent quick quitting. They are also advised to determine what candidates look for in their new roles.
"While job seekers are interviewing for jobs, they are also interviewing their employers. The first step companies can take to help retain employees is to research what it is that candidates are looking for in a job," Smith told HRD.
The next step is to provide as many of these requested benefits as they can before finally keeping the promises they gave their job candidates, according to Smith.
"Setting the standard of what to expect from a job from the beginning and fostering a healthy work environment will help keep people at their jobs longer and help prevent burnout.”