The Ultimate debate: Do employees leave the company or bad managers?

People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.

We all have heard this saying but is it really true? Do employees really leave bad managers and not the company? If you look on the web, you will find varied statistics from some stating that almost half of the employees quit their jobs because of bad corporate culture to some claiming that 89% of bosses wrongly believe their employees quit because they want more money. (Source:Medium) There are others who believe that while people do leave bad managers, it cannot be considered as the number one reason. This is because in several companies the employee’s decision to quit does not revolve around the manager’s behavior. (Source: Culture Amp)

While this debate may continue for eons to come, one thing is clear that there is a certain percentage of employees who leave bad managers which results in a huge loss of time and money that was invested on the employee. Also, more often than not there is a gap created of important skills, the person who is leaving for sure was fulfilling or offering a skill set and for that to be found and reset as per company culture is a huge task. Ultimately for an organisation, it is important to ensure that their good employees don’t quit. To attain this, both managers and employees need to put in efforts to understand each other and work harmoniously to achieve both organisational and individual goals. Is it achievable? Of course, it is!

Let us look individually as to how both managers and subordinates can work towards achieving their goals respectively.

Managers
Managers have their own fair share of influence on individual employees and the company as a whole. It is advisable to use these powers responsibly to nurture budding talent and to help the company achieve its targets. So how can one be a better manager?

• Be a Leader
  Traditionally, managers have been thought to be authoritarians who just gave a to do list and didn’t work on building a team. You can be a better manager by leading from the front. This can be achieved by being available for your subordinates, understanding their expectations, encouraging them to reach their potential and if need be standing up for them as well.
• Communicate efficiently
  Communication is one of the most important skills that a manager should possess. Lack of communication can lead to a lot of misunderstandings because your employees won’t live up to your expectations if they don’t understand them in the first place. If required then do note down your points that you want to tell your subordinates. Sometimes, managers can use informal settings like bringing their pet cat over a coffee or lunch, outside of work to communicate the concerns or values or work style better.
• Don’t micromanage
  Once you have delegated the work to your employees, do not interfere while they are at it. Give them the freedom to work the way they want to. Micromanagement can often lead to resentment and unhappiness among employees which might affect their productivity and efficiency. A tip to not micromanage is to always communicate effectively the expectation from the task, the timelines and leave them with an open invitation to come seek support if stuck…
• Focus on nurturing relationships
  Sometimes in smaller or larger setups they create mentor networks, external or inter department mentors with whom it could be easier for employees to communicate. Organizing workshops or sessions on goal setting.. understanding your profile in a team etc. can give managers a better perspective on the skills sets and psyche of their team… and employees to work on what’s missing.

Employees
Bad managers can be intimidating and cause stress related disorders, anxiety and depression but it doesn’t have to be so bad that you are pushed to quit. If you find yourself in a situation where your manager isn’t as encouraging and supportive as you would have liked them to be then here are a few ways that you can adapt in your everyday life to deal with them.

• Shift your focus from your manager to your work
  We know it isn’t easy to work with a bully but the best way to deal with them is to focus on your tasks at hand and not letting them control your performance.
• Stay a step ahead
  Identify the triggers that make your manager react so that the next time you can express your opinions in ways that they would understand and avoid behavior or words that irks them.
• Seek a mentor
  It always helps to talk it out when you are working with toxic people. Look for a mentor/guide in fellow managers or experienced peers who can not only give you a listening ear but also guide you to take necessary measures.
• Speak up
  Staying silent in fear of an awkward conversation always seems like a better option. But having a few seconds of courage and expressing your thoughts can help your manager understand what makes you uncomfortable and give them an opportunity to mend his/her way.
• Complain to the HR department
  Research about your company’s Human Resource(HR) department and how have they supported employees previously in such cases. If your HR department has successfully handled such cases in the past then you should talk with them to get some solutions.

Apart from poor employee retention rates, bad management can have adverse effects like loss in profits, low company morale, reduced employee productivity and eventually failure of business. It is thus important for the management to take things seriously and to ensure that their employees are as happy as they intend their clients to be.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do let us know in the comments below.

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