Half of workers decided to give their two weeks’ notice at a previous position because they felt underappreciated, according to a survey on two weeks’ notice submission conducted by Monster in November.
Other reasons given? Their salary was too low (49%), they were burnt out (34%), they experienced a lack of promotion (33%), they wanted to make a career change (32%), the work began to feel boring or draining (27%), they had a lack of flexibility (20%) or they had ongoing conflicts with colleagues (16%).
In general, workers were afraid to submit their notice at a previous role due to a fear of their new role not being the right fit (20%) or concerns about the conversation or delivery of their two weeks’ notice (20%).
Workers shared their notice with employers in different ways. About 57% said they delivered the news in person, while 45% wrote a formal letter and 41% communicated via email.
Although 19% of workers said they’ve provided more than two weeks’ notice before, 10% said they haven’t provided previous employers with an official notice. In addition, 16% said they haven’t provided a full two weeks.
In cases where workers might provide less than two weeks’ notice, about 46% said they’d do so if the start date of their new role wouldn’t allow for two weeks of notice to be given. Otherwise, 40% said they’d put in less than two weeks if they had a poor relationship with their manager, and 40% said they’d do so if they had a poor relationship with their company. A third of workers said they’d give less notice due to a fear of being immediately let go.
Most workers — about 79% — said they first informed their direct manager or supervisor when they left their previous position. No workers informed their assistant or mentor first.
In addition, 51% of workers said they were most nervous to tell their direct manager or supervisor they were leaving, as compared to 5% who were most nervous to tell their closest work friend.
About 1 in 7 workers want to leave their current job in the next year, according to a recent report from Yoh, an international talent and outsourcing company. Workers indicated that they’d more likely leave their job if they received an offer with a higher salary or better benefits elsewhere.
To encourage retention, HR professionals may consider implementing stay interviews to better understand what workers enjoy about the job and what may lead them to leave, HR experts told HR Dive. Instead of a formal sit-down process, however, HR managers can incorporate open-ended questions into regular feedback conversations to help employees open up and feel heard.
