Why Do People Leave

I have the privilege of being in the HR profession that allows me to have a better understanding of people and why they choose to leave an organisation. While I speak to them during their exit interview on why they wanted to leave, in most cases they do not speak the truth. The truth is often obtained and revealed through informal sources such as colleagues who are close to them.

People can and do leave for various reasons. However based on my experience, there is something common in why most people decide to call it quit:

The lost of trust - when people no longer trust their leaders, it is difficult to maintain positive relationship in the long run.

"Trust is important because it is the basis around which all human relationships revolve. Without trust there can be no relationship."

People form an impression of their leaders with their past and current interaction. A leader cannot earn trust if they are: inconsistent / unfair / lack of integrity / poor work ethnics. Most commonly when their actions and words are miles different and it become obvious day-in-day-out.

"TRUST is like an eraser, it gets smaller and smaller after each mistake." Source: unknown

The greatest push factor is when people can no longer trust their leaders. All other push factors will have minimal impact on people if they have confidence and trust in their leaders. The belief that their trusted leaders will eventually sort these issues together with them.

When it comes to pull factors such as better money, career progression and challenging work, people will leave upon such opportunities as they no longer feel that their career are in good hands of someone they do not trust. There are really nothing for them to look forward to when they feel that their leaders are not bringing them to the right direction and places.

People who are willing to work for you, need to feel safe and knowing that they can count on you when necessary. Trust is one important factor when one decides to walk with you or walk away from you.

Are you a trusted leader?

Ken is a human resource professional who values learning and enjoy working with people from all walks of life. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Management & HRM) from Curtin University of Technology and has been practicing HR since 2004. An introvert by nature, who loves reading and writing.