What Will Make People Really Stay at Their Jobs?
- by Marcel Schwantes
Inc.com — Culture is a powerful employee retention strategy as the Great Resignation rolls on. It's accurate to say that we will continue to see quiet quitters and similar trends of disengaged workers for years to come. So, what exactly do employees want from their leaders the most?
In a study published in the Harvard Business Review involving close to 20,000 employees around the world, you can sum it up in one word: respect.
Researchers conducted the global survey to determine how one's employee experience compares with that of others across categories like trust and safety, enjoyment and satisfaction, and meaning and significance.
Researchers found that no other leadership behavior had a bigger effect on employees than respect.
The effects of being treated with respect
According to the study's authors, being treated with respect was more important to employees than recognition, getting feedback, and even professional development opportunities. Employees who reported getting respect from their leaders experienced positive outcomes like:
- 56 percent better health and well-being
- 55 percent more engaged at work.
- 1.72 times more trust and safety
- 89 percent greater enjoyment and satisfaction with their jobs
- 92 percent greater focus and prioritization
- 1.26 times more meaning and significance in their work
- 1.1 times more likely to stay with their organizations than those that didn't