Do You Want to Retain Your Employees? Here's How (With Data)

Do You Want to Retain Your Employees? Then Stop the Behavior Employees Hate the Most

High turnover rates can kill enthusiasm, productivity and ultimately your bottom line. Although there are many potential causes, poor management is one of the top reasons behind employee dissatisfaction and resignation.

So, what types of boss behaviors are the most hated?

A recent study by BambooHR polled more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees to gain some insight into this question. They put together a list of 24 undesirable boss traits and had the respondents rate these traits from ‘completely acceptable,’ to ‘completely unacceptable.’ Out of all the bad boss behaviors, there was one that stood out as the most despised: taking credit for an employee’s work.

In fact, nearly 1 in 5 respondents listed a boss taking credit for their work as the primary reason for quitting their job.

Also read: When Numbers Fall: 4 Negative Effects of Employee Turnover

If you want to keep your employees, it’s important to implement management processes that support them. Here are a few more interesting takeaways from the survey:

The Top Reasons People Ending Up Leaving Their Jobs

44 percent of BambooHR survey respondents said that a boss has been the main reason behind leaving a job. The top five boss characteristics they listed as a motivator for leaving included:

Management Style: 37 percent

Condescending Attitude: 30 percent

Mean or ill-tempered: 27 percent

Inappropriate Behavior: 26 percent

Harassment: 24 percent

The survey also found a correlation between number of bosses and likelihood of leaving. The more bosses that an employee has had during their career, the more likely they were to have quit a job because of a boss. Employees with 1-3 bosses had a 35 percent likelihood of quitting because of their boss, whereas employees with 10 or more bosses had a 62 percent likelihood of quitting!

The View from the Top

According to the survey results, managers had a different view of these ‘bad boss behaviors.’

Also read: Retaining Millennial Employees Through Inspirational Leadership

Non-managers appeared to feel more strongly about the top issues that were identified than managers. The following points illustrate the disparity in opinions when the respondents were asked to rate behaviors that they felt were “not at all acceptable,” or a “deal breaker that would make them want to quit.”

Boss taking Credit for an Employee’s work

Non-Managers: 75 percent

Managers: 53 percent

Boss Doesn’t Appear to Care if an Employee is Overworked

Non-Managers: 68 percent

Managers: 48 percent

Boss Doesn’t Seem to Trust or Empower Employees

- Non-Managers: 72 percent
- Managers: 53 percent

So, what else did the survey reveal about bad boss behaviors and how they influence employee satisfaction? Check out the infographic below to find out!