This tends to be why millennials leave their jobs

They say people leave bosses, not companies. But millennial employees have another big reason for moving on.

Human resource professionals can use employee departure as a positive recruiting tool. (Photo: iStock)

“I’m putting in my notice …” The dreaded conversation; the anxiety of the exit interview.

Let’s re-frame how we view talent attraction and attrition for good.

‘The Secret Sauce’ for great leaders

During a recent business trip to Lawrenceburg, Ind., something clicked. The first session of my conference asked participants in small groups to talk about what they believed to be the best and worst leadership traits. Throughout the discussion, my favorite qualities in a leader were highlighted again and again. I’ve studied leadership a lot throughout my education and career. So hearing firsthand what makes or breaks a leader from the eyes of these professionals was like music to my ears.

In that room, we heard the secret sauce: Transparency + authenticity + communication + development = memorable, effective leadership.

That leads me to this: How might leaders throughout the business world support their talent so they are ready when opportunities come knocking/?

Imagine the possibilities

As a person who has led and currently leads an autonomous, dynamic team, I’ve never liked the saying, “People leave managers, not companies.” It’s a blanket statement that places all the responsibility on the manager and none on the team member.

As a proud millennial, I think these comments feed into the negative stereotypes given to Gen Y, and do nothing to develop anyone, neither the manager nor the team member. The best managers and leaders provide the opportunities needed to develop their teams, even if that means developing them for another role at a different organization.

Leadership matters

Do you want successful team members to leave singing your praises, which may then attract more talent? Or do you want them to leave and tell negative stories that might deter talent from even considering applying? If we are in a war for talent, why not turn this attrition into a victory and use it as an opportunity for recruitment?

Sekou Bermis is a professor at the University of Texas, Austin who launched a research project to better understand how turnover, an inevitable outcome for any company, might be a useful tool for recruiting. In it, we learn that an organization can gain clout when an employee leaves for another well-known organization and/or company. This builds on what we already know about how important experimentation is when it comes to talent attraction and retention.

I encourage any HR professionals reading this to think about ways to use employee departure as a positive recruiting tool.

Today’s talent war

One of my all-time favorite stories to tell is how I got my start with my current employer, the Filene Research Institute. It sparks joy in my heart and reminds me of my “why.” Why did I move from Huntington Beach, Calif., to Madison, Wis.? Why did I choose a life in financial services? Why do I love this work so much?

Short answer: Because of my organization’s young professional community.

Before coming to this job, I had a couple of leaders/mentors/bosses ask me, “What do you want to do?” And I would reply in typical millennial fashion, “You know, make an impact, and like, go places and talk to people…”

This usually got a laugh, and then the reality hit, “We can’t do that for you here.”

But I continued to peruse the creative passions that helped me develop for my dream job.

Here are a few ways my bosses supported me as a young professional:

Great leadership in action

The level of support I’ve received from my favorite leaders has left an indomitable mark on me and I can only hope to leave the same impression on those who I have and have had the privilege of leading. How is it possible that a millennial beat all the statistics, what Gallup calls the “job hopping generation,” and stayed at the same organization for eight years?

The answer is ‘the secret sauce.’ It wasn’t just the development opportunities afforded to me, it was the combination of transparency, authenticity and communication from my leaders that kept me.

When the time came for me to interview at Filene, I had the full support of my leadership team. As I was sitting on the plane flying to Madison for my job interview, I overheard a conversation I will not forget. Another passenger was telling the person next to him he was flying to a job interview. He was really excited, but he had to make up some lie to his boss. I was immediately grateful for the team of leaders I had, and what a gift I had been given: Transparency, authenticity, communication and development. Memorable, effective leaders.

Leaders, as you look back on the people who have come and gone from your team, ask yourself: Did they leave you? Or did they leave because you made sure they were ready for their next opportunity?

Cortney Angeley is Impact Director for Filene Research Institute. She can be reached at 608-661-3760 or cortneya@filene.org. These opinions are the author’s own.

This piece first published in Credit Union Times.

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