Unhappy employees? They are not always in need of more money.
The hospitality industry is notorious for high turnover rates, typically attributed to the long hours and low pay. However, there are many employees that love their job and love what they do. Regardless of what industry you are in, turnover is likely an issue.
Through our research, we have seen a number of reasons why employees leave their jobs. Sometimes this is unavoidable, such as when an employee is going off to college. Other causes of turnover can be avoided, such as unhappy or unmotivated employees. Frequently we are asked how to increase the motivation or satisfaction of employees. Here’s the most obvious answer, that is typically overlooked – ask your employees!
If you have a good relationship with your employees, hopefully they will be honest with you. Many managers assume turnover is part of doing business, however, we believe the amount of voluntary turnover can be controlled. Many times, you will find that your employees may not need a raise to be motivated or satisfied, but would simply like to be challenged with their job. A bored employee will quickly lead to an employee who is looking for a challenge elsewhere.
Here are some reasons employees gave for leaving their job that could have been avoided without much, if any, cost to the employer:
• Employer did not care about them
• Their work was not valued
• Employee was not being challenged
• Employer did not respect their abilities
While there are many more we could list, these were the most common issues employees gave us for leaving their careers. In particular, if you employ millennials, they are often motivated by the ability to use their brains, so challenge your employees, value their hard work, and respect the unique abilities they bring to your organization.
- Drs B & T