It’s stale | Everyone talks about it but …
Here’s the thing, anyone taking action?
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 Business L𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿s
“ABC resigned because someone offered more money.”
“They left for a higher salary, lah. What to do?”
💡𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵
Salary is rarely the only reason people leave.
I’ve conducted hundreds of exit interviews over the years. And what I consistently hear goes far beyond pay.
People often leave because:
😞Feeling unappreciated or invisible
🔁Repetitive work with no growth
😤Poor leadership or toxic colleagues
❓Unclear job expectations
🔇Lack of recognition or feedback
🚪No room to contribute or make decisions
Yes, pay is a factor but it’s usually the final push, not the root cause.
🎯𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘀
“I never knew if I was doing well or not.”
“I wasn’t learning anything new.”
“My ideas were ignored. I felt stuck.”
“The boss only talked to me when there was a problem.”
“I stayed 2 years hoping it would improve. It didn’t.”
👢𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿
Some of these employees accepted lower salaries elsewhere, why, because they were seeking better leadership, work-life balance or career development or a mix.
💥𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀💥
Here’s what you can do to stop good people from walking out
1️⃣𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 > 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆
Don’t wait until they resign to ask how they’re doing, Monthly or bi-weekly 1-on-1s make a huge difference
2️⃣𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 > 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗧
Don’t leave job scopes vague, Share clear KPIs and priorities
3️⃣𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 > 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀
A “Thank you” goes a long way, Celebrate small wins too 🎉
4️⃣𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 > 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗅
Provide cross-training, short-term projects, Encourage upskilling, even simple online courses
5️⃣𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 > +𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
If staff feel punished for giving feedback, they’ll stay silent — and then leave
Psychological safety = retention
📊𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲)
More than 70% of employees say “lack of appreciation” is a top reason for leaving a job (Source: Gallup)
💎𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆
💰Money gets people in the door; culture, growth & leadership 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣𝗦 them.
If you are struggling with high turnover, don’t just offer higher salaries.
Look 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿
Ask 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 questions.
And be open to 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.
✨And hey, sometimes, it’s not the offer letter that pulls them out, it’s the environment that pushes them away.
Let’s build workplaces where people want to stay; not just need to stay.
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I am Kevin Goh, Empowering People & Businesses | Building Modern HR for the Evolving Workplace
HRMythBusters TalentRetention
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn by Kevin Goh – Director. You can read the full post here. Adapted and shared with permission.
