Corporate culture is in a state of transition leaving many organizations in the dark with regards to modern methods of management, leadership, and motivation. This growing trend is underlined by the common struggle to adapt to the culture and mindset of future generations. The results are high turnover rates and absenteeism along with reduced engagement, productivity, performance and job satisfaction.
An onslaught of research is emerging with staggering facts about our current crisis. Gallup, a leading organization in employee behaviour found that 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged at work. That means that 87% of the workforce is either paddling in the opposite direction or not paddling at all. Michelle McQuaid, the author of Five Reasons to Tell Your Boss To Go F**k Themselves found that 65% of employees would rather see their boss replaced than receive a pay raise. Additionally, 60% said they would do a better job if they got along better with their boss.
Shocked by these findings, I decided to put these statistics to the test. I reached out to an old friend who operates his recruitment firm and asked if I could work with him to conduct a study. He kindly agreed. Just like that, I was a recruitment consultant. One of my roles was to contact potential candidates and offer them new career opportunities. A good portion of my target clientele already had jobs which put me in a perfect position to get a pulse on the matter. What I found was mind-boggling. On average, one out of two people I contacted were ready and willing to leave their jobs. When I asked “why?”, over 70% of them said that they would jump ship because of a negative relationship with their leaders. Their comments were droningly repetitive and downright painful to hear. The gist of the feedback I gathered is as follows:
My boss:
- Doesn’t appreciate me.
- Lacks communication skills.
- Doesn’t challenge me.
- Isn’t understanding.
- Doesn’t mentor me.
- Lacks respect and professionalism.
- Doesn’t care about my opinions.
- Doesn’t tap into my strengths.
While poor leadership didn’t account for all the reasons for quitting, it had a significant role to play in it. The biggest surprise was that very few ever mentioned money. Many were even willing to take a slight pay cut in exchange for more favourable conditions. The conclusion is clear that inevitable change is upon us and that a new approach must be adopted if businesses and their leaders are going to thrive in the 21st century. Beyond recruitment, there is a dire need for leadership development to promote employee fulfillment and retention.
