Case Study: When employees leave in droves, look to workplace culture for answers

I quit placard

I was hired by a mid-sized company concerned about the increasing number of employees resigning. Some were top-performers, and the organisation wanted to get to the bottom of why they were leaving. 

I created and ran a culture survey for existing staff. I also conducted exit interviews with some of the employees who were leaving. Pinpointing the exact causes of mass resignations can sometimes be challenging, but the results were evident and enlightening in this case. 

The employees indicated that the nature of the workplace was toxic. This had become more apparent to them while they were working from home due to the pandemic. Many indicated they felt they were being treated as a cog in the wheel rather than as human beings who needed support and help.

They felt there was a total lack of concern about how employees were managing during this challenging period. Instead, the organisation focused only on output – a damaging approach that erodes trust between employees and their employer.

The toxic environment revealed itself in several ways:

  • Remote work micromanagement showed a lack of autonomy and trust
  • Lack of transparent and open communication to employees
  • Unspoken pressure to be on 24/7, responding to emails, texts and phone calls
  • Being constantly criticised or overlooked by managers or coworkers
  • Ignoring bullying and harassment in the workplace or inadequately dealing with claims of this nature
  • Lack of humanity from leaders concerning the impact of COVID
  • Increasing workload without appropriate support or commensurate pay

What’s important to recognise is this workplace didn’t suddenly turn toxic during the pandemic. Usually, it’s the result of years of culture neglect. 

My report back to this organisation included recommendations on changes that would help to fix the culture. These included shifting towards an environment where employees come first. Enable them to be seen, heard and valued. Flexibility and transparent communication will all contribute to inspiring trust and loyalty in employees.  

The absolute worst thing companies can do after a culture survey is to ignore the findings and feedback provided, as this often leads to an even greater resentment from staff than before.

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