If your startup is going to succeed, then hiring the right people for your startup is, of course, an absolute must. But what happens when those people, that fab talented team that you’ve built start to head for the exit? It’s all very well to say that these things happen, people move on but it makes much more sense to figure out why.
And whilst the actual reasons for leaving a job can vary from person to person, in a startup there tends to be some pretty common trends. So, if you want to ensure that you hold on to your talent and keep those retention levels low, here are the top 3 reasons why startup employees leave that you ought to be mindful of.
Yawn - the boredom has set in
Startups generally attract proactive, curious people, people who thrive in dynamic environments, people who like to learn lots and to do so at a fast pace. However, the reality is that the more someone does a job, the more they understand and become proficient at it, the more the learning curve decreases. As a result, boredom can begin to take hold.
In a startup, this tends to happen relatively early on, between years 1 and 2, particularly if the role doesn’t expand or there are no plans on the horizon for that to happen. Also, if there are no options for an employee to change roles or to be given any additional responsibilities, things can quickly start to feel mundane and dull.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re building an amazing product or you’ve got a fab company culture - once that ennui appears and there are no imminent signs that things will change, your employees will start making their move.
Feeling unappreciated and undervalued
Times are pretty tough at the moment. Getting that all-important funding is a real challenge and it’s understandably a stressful time for founders and senior leaders. But if that stress is passed on to the team and there is incessant biting or snapping, chances are that it will have a knock-on detrimental effect on the founder-employee relationship and any support or goodwill that had previously been built up may soon disappear!
Of course, it’s at times like these that startup employees often come into their own, showing their resilience, and knuckling down to support the founder and the business. They’ll take on extra tasks, work longer hours, and always commit to driving the startup forward and being a part of its success.
However, if this extra effort and commitment isn’t acknowledged in some small way, they’ll begin to feel unappreciated and believe it’s all in vain. And whilst it may not be possible to reward them more financially, simply thanking them or showing some form of personal recognition that they are actually valued for all that they do can go a long way! Otherwise, if their hard work is completely ignored, they’ll start to feel that they’re being taken for granted and will begin exploring options elsewhere.
Instability and uncertainty
If you’ve had to make a lot of redundancies recently you might assume that those who have kept their job will be so grateful that they weren’t let go, that they will simply keep their head down and work even harder to show their appreciation. And some may indeed do just that!
You’ve got to remember though that it’s a pretty unsettling experience regardless. When people leave, it changes everything - the culture, the business dynamic. People miss their friends and colleagues. They may resent being forced to take on extra duties or tasks without any extra pay and could well start thinking of leaving too.
Of course, a major factor in how they feel is down to the behaviour of the founder, the senior leadership team, and their immediate line manager. If they’re being grumpy, moody or aggressive, or merchants of doom and gloom, that’ll certainly not help put employees who are still there at ease.
If things have been handled badly, if comms are poor and there's still a sense of uncertainty hanging in the air, that's not a good environment to be in. And if there’s still a risk of another round of redundancies and there doesn’t seem to be a clear path to success or a light at the end of the tunnel, chances are they’ll be off as soon as a recruiter calls!
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Offering personalised, consultative service, at TableCrowd Talent we’re a specialist recruitment agency with our finger on the pulse of the startup and scaleup scene. We are committed to matching graduates, professionals and C-level executives to exciting startup and scaleup jobs across London, the UK and Europe.
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