Actual Comments of Why Employees Leave
“I had a baby and I was going to try to go back part-time. I begged them to let me come back part-time, but they did not have the ability to let me come part-time.”

The Solution
This comment is a powerful statement by a former employee who really wanted to continue working for her employer, but the employer just wasn’t able to respond to her need for a different work arrangement. Most traditional employers would likely respond in the same way. Solutions to the changing needs and priorities of employees and employers can be found in one idea – workplace flexibility. Many leading-edge organizations are implementing workplace flexibility programs, such as flextime, compressed workweeks, job sharing, and part-time, to retain talent and knowledge in the workplace. Workplace flexibility is another way of strengthening the employer-employee contract, redefining the culture of the organization, and most importantly retaining valued employees.

There are multiple reasons employers are implementing workplace flexibility programs. Employers want to retain valued employees. They are seeing improved employee health and productivity. Employees who are given flexibility are more likely to give back and are more loyal. Workplace flexibility drives morale and job satisfaction. Remember, more engaged employees mean more productive employees.

Employees of all generations now value flexible work options but in very different ways. As an employer, are you open to requests for flexible work options? If you do not have a formal workplace flexibility initiative in place, have you considered the benefits of workplace flexibility? Are you willing to lose valuable employees and their knowledge? Is it worth the cost of turnover to not explore flexible work options as an important part of your overall business strategy?

Workplace flexibility has become so important to retention, engagement, and productivity that it now defines “employers of choice”.

(This blog post brought to you by HSD Metrics, an exit interview company that helps companies reduce employee turnover by providing automated reference checking, exit interviews, and by measuring employee retention. The comments from exiting employees that are featured in this blog are collected from actual exit interviews conducted using ExitRight, HSD’s exit interviewing service. Because we place the privacy of our clients at the top of our priority list; the names of all involved parties are kept completely confidential. Check our blog often for posts like this, to reduce employee turnover within your organization. If you are interested in learning more, contact us today.)