Good People Leave Good Jobs
When a great employee quits, the exit interview often sounds the same: "The money's fine. My manager's not terrible. The work's interesting enough. It's just... I don't feel right here anymore." It's that feeling of "not right" that matters, and understanding it means looking beyond the usual explanations.
Great employees don't wake up one day and decide to quit. It happens slowly, like air leaking from a tire. One day they realize their energy for work is flat, and the path to this point is paved with small moments that seemed insignificant at the time.
Picture this: You have an idea that could improve things. You raise it in a meeting. Your manager says, "That's interesting, but we do things differently here." This happens once, twice, ten times. Each time, a little bit of your enthusiasm dies. Or maybe you're working on something important when suddenly priorities change. No explanation. Just a new urgent task. Again and again. Soon you stop caring about any task. These moments might seem small, but they accumulate until they become unbearable.
Talk to people who love their jobs, and you'll hear a different story. They'll tell you about managers who actually listen when they speak, about understanding why their work matters, about seeing the real impact of their efforts. These aren't complex needs, but they're surprisingly rare in most workplaces.
The solution starts with simple changes in how we handle everyday situations. When someone needs to make a decision, trust them to do it instead of requiring approval for every small choice. Share information about the bigger picture instead of keeping people focused only on their specific tasks. When someone brings up an idea, explore how to test it rather than explaining why it won't work.
These changes don't require massive restructuring or expensive programs. They require something both simpler and harder: changing how we interact with each other at work. When someone speaks in a meeting, really listen to them. When priorities shift, take the time to explain why. When someone completes a project, show them exactly who it helped and how. When someone has an idea, give them the space and support to try it.
The real cost of ignoring these needs isn't just in turnover numbers or hiring expenses. It's in the slow decay of workplace trust and engagement. Money isn't free, and neither is trust. But only one keeps getting more expensive to replace.
Good people don't leave good jobs because of money. They leave because too many small moments tell them their work doesn't matter. They leave because their days are filled with signals that their judgment isn't trusted, their ideas aren't valued, and their efforts go unnoticed. Fix these daily interactions, and you fix most of your people problems.
It really is that simple. Not easy, but simple. Creating a workplace where good people want to stay doesn't require complex strategies or expensive benefits. It requires something more fundamental: treating people like their work matters and showing them how it does. Everything else is just details.
