Bad managers make employees quit

Poor management is responsible for around 20% of all employee resignations, but in many cases the departures were avoidable, according to data collected by a specialist exit interviews firm.

Poor management is responsible for around 20% of all employee resignations, but in many cases the departures were avoidable, according to research by a specialist exit interviews firm.

According to the firm, Exit Info, data it collects from exit interviews suggests that one in five employees leave because they were frustrated by a bad manager or supervisor.

“Managers play an important role in helping employees develop their career and skills. The old adage, that ‘people join organisations and leave managers’ still rings true,” Exit Info director Lenorë Lambert says.

Of course, it wasn’t the only factor contributing to the 18% of employed Australians who switch jobs each year. A lack of opportunity for career advancement, lack of interest in the work itself, insufficient challenge in the role and need for a change were all major reasons for resignation.

But while people have their own reasons for going, that doesn’t mean there is nothing employers can do to get people to stay. According to Exit Info data, 44% of departing employees say they could have been persuaded to stay, but most employers (two in three) made no effort to do so.

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