Good help is hard to come by, so when you find an employee that’s worth their proverbial weight in gold, you’ll want to retain them for as long as possible. 

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to keep the best of the best around, particularly in environments that are less than ideal from their perspective.

To better understand how to retain your best employees, say experts like workplace harassment attorney Jeremy Pasternak, you need to grasp the multitudinous scenarios and conditions that might cause those employees to quit. 

This will allow you to better your own work environment, preventing it from becoming the toxic nightmare that makes employees wish they were anywhere else. While we might not be able to cover all, the following are some of the most common reasons employees quit.

What Causes Employees to Look Elsewhere?

If your best employees are packing up and finding jobs with your competitors, it could well be for one of these (very avoidable) reasons:

They Feel Unsafe at Work

It could be from the hands of other co-workers, or even management itself, says Nostrati Law, sexual harassment attorney in LA, but an environment in which employees feel like they are being targeted is not one where they’re going to want to stay. 

It should go without saying, but you’ve got to ensure that your workplace culture makes it clear that harassment and bullying are not going to be tolerated.

They Aren’t Getting Along

Of course, the relationship with bosses and other co-workers doesn’t always have to be rooted in harassment to get your best employees to go. It could also be the case that they don’t get along with you and others, and eventually, they get fed up.

They’re Getting Bored

While there might be a small handful of employees who don’t care for a challenge (and will gladly take on an unfulfilling role), that can’t often be said of the best employees. Your high performers are looking for work that engages them, so if you aren’t making the best use of their talents, they’ll find an employer who will.

You’re Micromanaging

Similarly, most talented workers understand their level of competence and expect you to do the same. If you’re constantly micromanaging them, then they’ll take that as a sign that you don’t trust them to do what hired them to do, and will go off in search of a workplace that provides more autonomy and independence.

Retaining Your Best

In addition to avoiding some of the scenarios and practices that cause employees to go, make sure that you’re keeping the lines of communication open and connecting with what all your employees are feeling about their job. That way, you can stay a step ahead of potential issues and keep your best along for the ride.