Canadian HR Reporter contacted Cissy Pau of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting to comment on a study about the behaviours that employees who leave their jobs demonstrate prior to quitting.
According to a study out of Utah State University, employees who are thinking of leaving their jobs may give off subtle cues others can pick up on. The study found that most employees disengage from the workplace in the one or two months before they leave. If workers demonstrate at least six of the 18 consistent behavioural changes, the study’s statistical formula can predict, with 80% accuracy, they are about to leave their employer.
When asked about whether employees demonstrate certain behaviours when looking for work, here’s what Cissy Pau, principal consultant at Clear HR Consulting in Vancouver, had to say:
“I just assume that everybody’s got their ear to the ground and seeing what opportunities there are out there. That’s human nature, especially in this day and age of social media and LinkedIn,” she said. “On your LinkedIn profile, right there, it says, ‘Here are jobs you might be interested in’ so you can’t help but click on that.”
As a result, it’s up to employers to engage workers, said Pau.
Here’s what Cissy Pau had to say when asked about the value of knowing the behavioural cues potential quitters may demonstrate:
“Whether (employees) demonstrate these cues and these behaviours or not, if they’re not happy in their job, they’re going to leave. So you as an employer, as a manager, still have to review your company culture, your management talent, their ability to engage their staff — I don’t think that changes. Knowing this (study’s results) doesn’t change the fact that employers have to create an environment where employees want to work.”
You can read more about the study on the behavioural cues of potential quitters and Cissy Pau’s comments in the March 24th edition of Canadian HR Reporter, or online here.
