Every year after the holidays, there is a large exodus of workers changing jobs. An excellent post about their reasons for leaving was written at dumb little man: tips for life. He and friends took the historical data for the 20% of employees and analyzed the data. They identified the 20% to be 178 employees.

The top motivator for change was money and of those with this reason, only 8 were at the top of his/her pay scale. 64% left for money concerns. It never failed to amaze me through my job/career changes that few companies fail to evaluate the cheaper cost of a pay raise in contrast to the cost of training a new employee. HR departments need to know what the pay grade for key employees is at rival companies. I would bet that key employees know.

The second main reason for leaving is that he/she feels unchallenged. Even employees functioning at master level need to have spice added to his/her position to make it new and fresh. Many of us thrive on challenge and need it to feel fulfilled.

The third reason is the opposite of number #2—being too challenged. Many times an employee with a concern is not asked for the solution to his/her concerns. One of my best bosses wouldn’t see anyone about a concern if I didn’t have the solution outlined for her. Most of the time I expressed a concern, she adopted my solution.

The final reason for leaving is realizing the company isn’t moving forward and/or may be perceived as standing still.

One of my favorite sites for years is http://www.changingcourse.com/. Valerie Young helps many people to find his/her life mission. The people she helps are looking for more than a job or career change.

These are some great articles about getting a job:

(1) Everything you wanted to know about getting a job in Silican Valley but Didn’t Know Who to Ask by Guy Kawasaki

(2) You’ve Got to Find What You Love To Do (a commencement address) by Steve Jobs

(3) A book to help you sort out your choices: The Dip: A Little book That Teaches You When to Quit by Seth Godin

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