I quit.
Those are the two words you least want to hear from a high-performing employee, especially if you’re running a small or mid-sized business where maintaining headcount is critical. It takes time to find good talent, and employee turnover costs add up—so losing even one worker can hurt.
So why do good employees quit? If you’ve been dealing with higher turnover than you want and can’t figure out exactly why your new hires are failing, you have a problem. Specifically, you have a problem with job fit.
Understanding Job Fit
Good employees quit because of poor job fit. What’s job fit? It’s the sense of feeling productive and satisfied in your work because your day-to-day tasks energize you.
Poor job fit occurs when a person is placed in a role that doesn’t match their natural strengths or personal and professional needs. Employees who work in roles that are a good fit tend to be productive, happy team members who stick around. On the other hand, employees who work in roles they aren’t cut out for tend to be less productive, less happy, and less likely to stick around. It doesn’t matter if you have 1,500 employees or only 15. Job fit matters.
The Impact of Poor Job Fit on Employee Engagement
Poor job fit disrupts employee engagement. In fact, it is one of the four forces of disengagement. The issue can plague both new hires and long-term employees.
New hires sour quickly when they discover they’re a terrible match for their new job. Close to half of new employees fail within 18 months—a stat that should scare any business owner.
Long-term employees suffer when their roles evolve to fit the changing needs of the business and their new responsibilities don’t suit their strengths and needs.
Whether they’re just stepping in the door or have been on the payroll for a decade, employees quit when they feel like their employer set them up to fail. Asking people to spend 40 hours a week doing tasks that drain their energy is a recipe for disaster.
Warning Signs of Person/Role Mismatch
The employee often appears upset, anxious, bored, or frustrated.
Tasks take significantly longer than they should.
The employee possesses the skills/expertise needed but still fails to deliver good work consistently.
Improvement is slow or nonexistent.
You spend more time coaching this person than you do your other employees.
The employee gravitates toward different work outside of their normal job area.
Why Good Employees Quit: Solutions to Improve Job Fit
Define the Needs of the Role: Set a job target. This is a structured way to align key stakeholders and identify what qualities and behaviors will help someone thrive in the position. Should the person be highly disciplined and rules-based, or a big-picture thinker who delegates the details? Will the job require a lot of social interaction, or will it mean many heads-down hours to get the work done?
Match the Person to the Defined Role: After assessing the job, give a behavioral assessment and a cognitive assessment to evaluate a person’s fit for the role. These tools are highly effective in helping you identify which individuals are likely to be a great fit for the job. Using them in concert with resumes, references, interviews, and skills-based testing (if the role requires specific expertise) is the best way to ensure person/role fit.
Ongoing Communication and Feedback: Perception is key. If employees think they’re under-performing in a job due to a lack of manager feedback—regardless of whether or not they’re under-performing—they may begin to disengage. Work closely with your employees to help them set goals for themselves, then give honest feedback during regularly scheduled 1:1 check-ins.
Call to Action
The more you can set your employees up for success, the better chance you have of reaching your business goals. If you’re ready to stop the cycle of poor job fit and high turnover, contact us at Straightline Consulting Group. We align your talent with your vision in a relentless pursuit of excellence.
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