The truth behind why workers leave

Business owners might be interested to learn that a recent report has shown that 27% of UK employees have lied to their bosses when they leave their job.

Interestingly, this figure rises to 40% for younger workers (ages 18-34), 36% for LGBT workers, 37% for those from an ethnic minority background and 43% for workers with a long-term health condition.

The Michael Page research, which surveyed 2,000 British workers, revealed the real reasons for people leaving their jobs.

For example, one third (32%) leave jobs because they didn’t think they were being paid enough, a fifth (21%) didn’t feel valued in the workplace and 15% said their job negatively impacted their mental health. Not fitting in or feeling included were also cited as a reason for quitting by one in ten (9 per cent).

Sheri Hughes, UK diversity & inclusion director at Michael Page, commented, “It’s evident that organisations are not doing enough to ensure their employees feel valued or included, with so many workers being embarrassed or unwilling to admit the real reason they’re leaving a job.

“Having a distinct inclusion policy in place should be a priority for businesses of all sizes to efficiently attract and retain top talent. We’re on a mission to help companies understand how they can improve these policies and mitigate the risk of losing talented employees.”

The study also found that almost half of workers (45%) said their company did not have a specific policy on inclusion and more than half (58%) said they didn’t think their company prioritises diversity and inclusion.

To help employers understand how best to implement an effective inclusion policy and feel valued in the workplace, Michael Page has worked with Dan Robertson from VERCIDA Consulting, a global diversity and inclusion expert. Together they have created an Inclusivity Mapper, which allows businesses to see how they fare against others in their industry on topics from leadership to culture and get tailored advice on areas that need improvement.

Dan Robertson, said, “While many organisations have focused on the “Diversity” aspect of D&I, too many are still burying their heads in the sand when it comes to inclusion. This is not beneficial for businesses or their employees. What’s clear is that negative cultures are having a significant impact on companies around the UK, and workers are leaving as a result.

“There are a number of measures business can take to foster an inclusive culture. The starting point is the organisational leader followed by the line manager. I’d urge all leaders and managers to pause and reflect on the implications of these finding for their own businesses.”

To find out more about contracting please contact Jaime on 01442 795 100 or email jaime.thorpe@dolanaccountancy.com.