The No. 1 Complaint That Makes Top Employees Leave A recent study suggests managers must do a lot more if they want to keep their brightest minds.
By Jason Feifer Edited by Mark Klekas
If you've ever worked at a dysfunctional company, you've probably seen this pattern: The top employees leave — but the worst ones stick around.
That's not just your observation. It's a verifiable pattern, according to a study conducted by the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. And it's completely solvable.
Here's what researchers found: The more a worker identifies as being "proactive" — which is to say, a worker who is actively engaged in their work and thrives with more responsibilities and deadlines — the less that person will tolerate "office politics, lack of resources, red tape, unclear work roles, and other workplace hindrances."
The flip side was also true: The less a worker identifies as "proactive," the more tolerant they are of office dysfunction. These workers simply don't think about quitting as much.
What's causing this divide? The study was limited, so there are no definitive answers. It was based on surveys of 256 architects; researchers chose that field because it's known for being high-stress and full of frustrations.
But still, there's plenty to learn here.
Researchers speculated that proactive employees "are especially sensitive" to chronic work stress, and feel badly when their efforts aren't rewarded. It could also be that proactive employees believe they can get better jobs elsewhere. Or, compared with their less-proactive peers, these high-performing workers might put a higher priority on being where their work is valued.
Now that companies know this, study co-author Eean Crawford said they should act.
"Managers should be going around asking 'what is getting in your way and how can I get rid of it?'" says Crawford, an associate professor of management and BIZ Experiencesship at the University of Iowa, in a release. "To the extent, managers learn of obstacles and can remove them, remove them."
If managers can't fix all the problems plaguing their teams, Crawford says, they should at least focus on the ones that most impact their best-performing employees.
Managers should also be more sympathetic to their frustrated employees, and they should validate those employees' concerns. Say things like, "I totally agree with how you feel." After all, employees want to feel heard — and even if their concerns can't be quickly resolved, employees will feel better knowing that they're recognized and not ignored.
Want to dig even deeper with your team?
"Start every 1:1 with 'How can I help you?' Then, listen," says Drew Fortin, founder and CEO of Lever Talent, an organization that helps leaders develop talent strategies. "Ask, 'What else?' Then repeat back. Then offer assistance and follow through. This is how you show your team that you are listening and you care."
Related: 7 Lessons CEOs and Hiring Managers Learned from Exit Interviews
And instead of leaders evaluating their team members, they can flip it: "Have your team take a 360 to evaluate you," Fortin says. "Then, share your results with the team to corroborate findings and identify how you are directly contributing to the dysfunction."
Crawford, the University of Iowa professor, also offered a grim piece of final advice: If a company cannot fix its obstacles and dysfunctions, it might want to start recruiting workers who are less proactive. That way, the company at least avoids the high turnover costs from when highly productive employees walk out the door.
