Why Employees Quit

New research points to some surprising answers.

by

and

Bob Moesta

by

and

Bob Moesta

From the Magazine (November–December 2024) · Long read

Skizzomat

01

Why Employees Quit

02

Turn Employee Feedback into Action

03

Reimagining Work as a Product

Summary.

The so-called war for talent is still raging. But in that fight, employers continue to rely on the same hiring and retention strategies they’ve been using for decades. Why? Because they’ve been so focused on challenges such as poaching by industry rivals, competing in tight labor markets, and responding to relentless cost-cutting pressures that they haven’t addressed a more fundamental problem: the widespread failure to provide sustainable work experiences. To stick around and give their best, people need meaningful work, managers and colleagues who value and trust them, and opportunities to advance in their careers, the authors say. By supporting employees in their individual quests for progress while also meeting the organization’s needs, managers can create employee experiences that are mutually beneficial and sustaining.

Idea in Brief

The Problem

Employers continue to rely on the same hiring and retention strategies they’ve been using for decades, but those approaches are failing. Employees are quitting their jobs in large numbers, generating significant costs for companies.

The Root Cause

Companies aren’t providing sustainable work experiences that align with employees’ personal quests for progress. Employees often feel stagnant, undervalued, and disconnected from meaningful work, which drives them to seek positions elsewhere.

The Solution

Managers should engage with employees early—soon after they’ve started their new jobs— to find out why they left their previous positions. In addition, managers should collaborate with HR to tailor roles to each individual’s quest for progress.

The so-called war for talent is still raging. But in that fight employers continue to rely on the same hiring and retention strategies they’ve been using for decades, even though those approaches aren’t working: People may be enticed to stay a bit longer than they otherwise would have, but they still leave. So why do organizations persist with those strategies? Because they’ve been so focused on challenges such as tight labor markets, relentless cost-cutting pressures, and poaching by industry rivals that they haven’t addressed a more fundamental problem: the widespread failure to provide gratifying work experiences. To stick around and keep giving their best, people need meaningful work; managers and colleagues who value, respect, and trust them; and opportunities to grow, excel, and advance in their careers.

A version of this article appeared in the November–December 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Next In

Turn Employee Feedback into Action

Know what to listen for—and how to respond.

Ethan Bernstein is the Edward W. Conard Associate Professor of Business Administration in the organizational behavior unit at Harvard Business School and a coauthor of Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career (HarperCollins, 2024).
ethanbernstein
Michael B. Horn is a cofounder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute. He teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and cohosts the higher ed podcast Future U.
Bob Moesta is the CEO and founder of The Re-Wired Group, an adjunct lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management, and a research fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute.