- Gallup compares the quits rates for “thriving” and “suffering” employees
- Workers classified as suffering are more likely to quit, especially in production and frontline positions
- Tips on improving your employees’ well-being
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
It’s an insight that reads like common sense: treat your employees well and they’ll be less likely to quit. Gallup has backed up the contention with data, showing that employees who give themselves a poor rating on their personal well-being are more likely to quit than those who rate themselves highly.
In a poll of 10,937 full-time workers in March, Gallup found that 59 percent of respondents rated themselves a seven or higher on a scale of 10. These respondents were classified as “thriving,” while those rating themselves lower were classified as “suffering.”
Gallup found that suffering employees were twice as likely to quit as thriving ones, and that employees who were less engaged with their job were also more likely to be looking for work elsewhere. Twelve percent of employees who rated themselves as thriving left their job by October, compared to 22 percent of those who rated themselves as suffering
- The disconnect was particularly pronounced in production and frontline workers, where 26 percent of suffering workers left but only 6 percent of thriving workers departed
- Only 48 percent of production and frontline employees described themselves as thriving
- Other significant disconnects occurred in health care and social assistance, where 31 percent of suffering employees and 14 percent of thriving employees left their job, and managerial or executive positions, where 19 percent of suffering employees and 11 percent of thriving employees departed
- Businesses that place a higher value on worker well-being benefit from lower turnover expenses, improved reputation, and lower levels of employee burnout, anxiety, and stress
- Gallup offers tips on improving your employees’ well-being, including auditing your company’s practices, setting goals, and working to create clear communications with workers
