Why Employees Leave & How to Prevent It

Quick-service restaurant operators have spoken: Employee turnover is off the charts.

We have gathered some surprising, exclusive data on turnover that comes from our systems and regular check-ins with hundreds of QSR operators across the United States.

But first, let’s debunk a common myth.

You’ve heard this before: People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. If this common phrase makes you want to pull your hair out, you’re not alone. Your day consists of a thousand tasks and responsibilities, and hearing feedback on your leadership shortcomings is not helpful.

employees don’t leave jobs because of managers. They leave more often because of unanswered questions and miscommunication, especially in the first 90 days.

The good news? Our data shows this common line of thinking isn’t always true.

We performed more than 20,000 exit surveys in 2021 for more than 1,000 QSRs across the country, and then categorized the responses to help QSR managers better recruit and retain their employees.

In doing so, we found that employees don’t necessarily leave jobs because of managers. They leave more often because of unanswered questions and miscommunication. This is especially true within the first 90 days of being hired.

Here are some of our findings: 

• In the first 90 days, employees are 5x more likely to quit because of training miscommunication and general preparedness than they are after the first 90 days.

• They’re also 50% less likely to quit because of understaffed store conditions or the manager than they are after those first 90 days.

What do these numbers tell us? 

What matters in those first 90 days is training, communication, and preparedness. Employees don’t even have a chance to get to know a manager in the first 90 days due to all of the new processes and systems they are learning.

They simply have questions that aren’t being answered. They don’t feel adequately trained and aren’t sure who to address these issues with.

The exciting part about these findings is they are easy to fix.

Better Communications equates to Turnover Reduction.

In implementing our recruitment platform at hundreds of QSR concepts across the country, we’ve been able to boost retention by over 50% in the first 90 days.

50%!

This has changed the game for numerous managers because they are then able to recruit far fewer employees, which in turn leads to dramatic cost savings.

So how do you achieve these numbers for your business?

Consider an Early Warning System 

We help companies implement programs and platforms that detect issues before they start. If you can gather employees’ feedback before they quit, you may be able to put a stop to miscommunication issues that are making them consider leaving.

This early warning system can uncover issues in an automated fashion during critical touchpoints in your workers’  first days with your business.

Don’t Ignore the Data

What good is a feedback platform if you’re not utilizing it?

If you’re going to ask for comments from new workers, it’s important to have thick skin and not take the feedback too personally. This isn’t easy. And negative commentary can cause you to beat up on yourself.

We urge managers to realize that most feedback is related to small issues falling through the cracks versus overall criticisms of their management style.

And ignoring this type of feedback from employees can do more harm than good. In fact, it’s critical to follow up with employees who are speaking up. Bringing up their issues – and quickly – in a safe, collaborative way is the best way to let a worker know his or her voice is being heard.

Even if you disagree with their notes, thank the employee for giving the feedback and let them know what actions you plan on taking to change things. Share the experience with your other managers or even employees if appropriate.

The more open your lines of communication, the better your business will operate.

Our monthly mini-trainings are designed to help you better recruit and retain your hourly workers in an understaffed world. We’ve built world-class technology that uncovers what matters most to your employees and automatically checks in at key milestones. Have a topic suggestion for our mini-trainings? Email [email protected].