Better Systems, Smarter Thinking

 

🧨 It’s Not the Job – It’s the Hopelessness

In many cases, the first thing I look for when working with a business is their attrition rate.  If that is high it tells you a lot about the organisation.  Therefore, the very first problem you need to get to grips with isn’t always the delivery pipeline, your tooling, or even your leadership structure. It’s something far more human—and far more urgent: a higher-than-normal attrition rate for your type of business.

Let’s be clear: people leave jobs for all sorts of reasons. Maybe they’ve won the lottery (lucky them), maybe they’re chasing a better work-life balance, or maybe they’re after more growth opportunities. But if it's entire teams walking out, and it’s happening again and again, it’s time to stop blaming the market and start looking inward.

Because chances are, it’s not the job they’re leaving—it’s the environment.

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📊 Benchmark It Before You Brush It Off

Before you assume it’s “just the industry,” benchmark your attrition rate.  Compare it to similar companies in your sector, region, and size. If you’re seeing 30%+ turnover in a year, and your peers are sitting at 10–15%, that’s not normal. That’s a signal.

And if some departments are hitting 100% turnover? That’s not a red flag—it’s a serious emergency or five-alarm fire.

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🧠 Understand Why They’re Really Leaving

Here’s the kicker: most companies don’t actually know why people are leaving.  They guess. They assume. They blame “better offers” or “personal reasons.” But the truth?  It’s often deeper—and darker.

🚩 Toxic culture
🚩 Lack of trust in leadership
🚩 Feeling unheard, undervalued, or stuck
🚩 Constant chaos with no end in sight

You won’t find that in a resignation letter.  But you will find it if you ask the right questions—and listen without getting defensive.

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🛠️ So, What Can You Do?

Start here:

1. Hold real listening sessions – not town halls, not surveys.  Just honest, small-group chats where people can speak freely.
2. Acknowledge the mess – say it out loud.  “We know things aren’t working. We’re here to fix it.”  This must be accepted as an issue at the highest level for any change to occur.
3. Look for patterns – in exit interviews, in team feedback, in what’s not being said.
4. Act on what you hear – even small wins build trust.  This must be championed by the SLT, even if they appear to be the cause.

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💬 Final Thought

People don’t leave jobs—they leave environments that feel hopeless.
But here’s the good news: hope is something you can rebuild.

Start by being brave enough to face the truth. Then show your people that change isn’t just possible—it’s already happening.