Bosses Beware: 5 Management Mistakes That Are Driving Your Employees Away

Here’s how to fix them

Everyone’s had at least one bad boss in their career.

A manager’s style and approach can have a huge impact on employee morale and productivity. When things go well, employees are happy, productive, and eager to get to work. When things go wrong, worker confidence suffers, emotions run high, and sometimes tempers boil over, resulting in a human resources disaster.

In the absolute worst-case scenario, bad managers can even push employees to jump ship and find a new job. Employee turnover is expensive, results in lost operational efficiency, and can negatively impact company culture. One analyst from Deloitte estimates that the loss of one employee can cost the company between 1.5x and 2x that employee’s annual salary.

In today’s highly-competitive workforce climate, it’s more important than ever that companies ensure their employees are satisfied with management and their jobs overall before it’s too late. The Federal Reserve’s most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey found that job openings in the U.S. hit an all-time record of 7.14 million in August. The survey also found that the “quits rate,” the rate of people voluntarily leaving their jobs, jumped 12.7 percent from the prior year, suggesting that candidates are finding attractive opportunities and are confident in their chances in the open market.

Employers simply cannot afford to lose an employee, or several, thanks to bad management strategies or techniques. This is why we recently conducted a survey through The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 U.S. adults to discover what management traits are most likely to increase employee turnover. Below are the top 5 mistakes managers make as identified in that survey that could cause employees to quit with specifics for managers on how to fix them.

Delivering feedback is a balancing act – more than a third of those surveyed indicated an overly critical boss could lead them to pursue other opportunities. Managers must be firm and direct with their critique, but also respectful of the hard work the employee already put into the project. Good managers start by making the employee feel safe and pointing out some positive aspects of the work. From there, managers can call out areas of improvement, while always trying to explain their suggestions as thoroughly as possible so that the employee can understand where they might have fallen short. The key is focusing on being constructive with feedback, as opposed to critical.

Picking when to deliver feedback is also crucial to building a healthy employee-manager relationship. Employees don’t want to feel like they’re constantly being told what to do, how to do it, and when. In fact, 35 percent of survey respondents said they would leave their job if their immediate superior was a micromanager. Aside from being frustrating for employees, micromanaging inhibits employee growth and limits their freedom to try new approaches. It also mitigates trust and tends to have a negative impact on employee morale. To avoid micromanaging, managers should set up calendar alerts to periodically check in with their employees on their progress. By structuring and scheduling these interactions, managers allow employees to find their own way to complete a task, while still keeping the overall project on track.

Approximately 42 percent of employees surveyed said they would leave their job if they felt overworked by their manager. To avoid overworking employees, managers must start by having honest conversations with their team about their current workload, how much time they spend on daily tasks, and whether or not they have room to take on additional assignments. Also, promoting work-life balance can go a long way in alleviating some of this pressure. Employees that are forced to sacrifice their personal lives for work obligations tend to be less productive, absent more frequently, unhappy, stressed, and ultimately less loyal to their company.

There are few things more frustrating than feeling like you’re being set up for failure. But this is exactly what happens when managers set unrealistic expectations. About 42 percent of survey respondents said they would leave their job if their manager continually set standards too high. However, many managers don’t realize they’re even doing it. To avoid doing so, managers should take time at the beginning of each month, quarter, or year to sit down with employees and set goals for the upcoming period. Through honest and open conversations, managers have the opportunity to listen to their employees and come up with realistic expectations to set for their team. Sometimes, these conversations will even help to uncover when employees aren’t being challenged enough and open opportunities for individual growth.

A lack of respect for employees in lesser positions was the most widely selected issue with managers that would cause employed Americans to consider a new job. In fact, 53 percent of survey respondents indicated they would leave their job because of it, even if they were otherwise happy in their role. Treating employees with respect is a pivotal, yet often overlooked part of being a manager. Managers are forced to walk the fine line of being feared and loved, and ensuring the right balance means the difference between your employees feeling respected or unappreciated. When in doubt, managers should follow the golden rule and treat their employees the way they would want to be treated.

Regardless of compensation, benefits, workplace location, or office perks, having a poor manager could lead many employed Americans to explore other career options. Employers must encourage their managers to act with compassion, respect, and reasonableness when interacting with employees. The implementation of management training seminars can help new managers get their feet wet, as well as remind experienced managers of certain tips and techniques that can help them do their job even better. Employers who overlook this critical aspect of their company culture risk losing their best employees to their competitors.