What Disgruntled Exiting Employees Mean To Your Business

New research by Corporate Executive Board Co. reveals that more than three-quarters of departing employees say they wouldn't recommend their employer to others.

That percentage, based on exit surveys of more than 4,300 employees from 80 companies, is up from the 42% of employees who in 2008 said they wouldn't recommend their employer.

Most of the 80 companies had more than $2 billion in annual revenues, so perhaps the 2011 percentage would be lower had smaller companies been surveyed. But, the message is wake-up call, and the situation is one that could affect companies' recruiting efforts, since prospective employees often trust former employees the most when choosing where to work.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, some companies are proactively engaging their alumni by sending them employee publications and inviting them to contribute to their company blogs and social media sites. That may help to maintain a positive relationship after the employee leaves.

However, what are these companies doing before their employees leave? Are they doing everything possible to keep them satisfied, engaged, challenged, trained and rewarded?

According to Leigh Branham, founder and CEO of the Overland Park, KS company Keeping The People, he explains that employees leave for seven main reasons, and money isn't among the seven:

The job or workplace was not as expected
Mismatch between job and person
Too little coaching and feedback
Too few growth and advancement opportunities
Feeling devalued and unrecognized
Stress from overwork and work-life balance
Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders

Is your company falling short in any of these areas?

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