Created by CakeBeing employed in a typical 9:5 job means that more than half of your time in a week is spent at work. Workplace environments, therefore, play a pivotal role in shaping our professional experiences. It influences everything from career growth to mental well-being. You might be fortunate enough to get a job with a positive workplace culture that also pushes you to climb your career ladder. However, at the same time, many people out there are struggling with a toxic work environment. Some examples include, a manipulative boss, backstabbing coworkers, or a stagnant career path. Such an environment may directly or indirectly affect your mental and physical health, job happiness, and overall well-being. This makes life even tougher than ever. It is found that the number one motive people quit their job was due to a toxic work culture (62%), according to a 2022 survey from FlexJobs. At the same time, a report by MIT Sloan Management Review revealed that toxic corporate culture is 10.4 times more likely to influence employee turnover compared to compensation.Table of Contents:What Is a Toxic Work Environment?9 Toxic Work Environment SignsWhat Causes a Toxic Work Environment?Tips on How to Deal with a Toxic Work EnvironmentConclusionWhat Is a Toxic Work Environment?A toxic work environment is one with a negative atmosphere that makes employees feel punished, mistreated, and humiliated. Common toxic work environment characteristics could vary from limited communication, excessive workload, to bullying and harassment. It consequently leads to fear, stress, and discomfort, which can worsen your mental health in the long run. Taking that in mind, both employees and employers should take serious action when any form of toxicity in the workplace is recognized. By doing so, it could stop the spread of red flags over red flags. So, it’s important to keep in mind that the quicker the company can identify the root cause of a toxic work environment, the greater the chance there is to prevent more problems that could happen in the future.9 Toxic Work Environment SignsIf you’re not so sure whether you’re just a sensitive person or in a toxic work environment, then it’s time to pay close attention to several negative aspects that might indicate that you’re in a toxic workplace. Here are 9 warning signs and several toxic work environment examples: 1. Excessive Micromanagement Micromanagement can really be a pain in the neck. If your boss is constantly pinging you to check on your work progress, walking around your desk to see what you’re working on, or closely controlling every aspect of your work to be in their own way. Then, that is clearly a big red flag of a toxic work environment. Not only does it make you feel uncomfortable and stressed, the worst part is that it holds back your creativity and autonomy without your manager actually realizing it. 2. Lack of Communication When you feel like communication in your workplace is limited, be aware that it definitely signals a toxic work environment. For example, a client requests to make changes about the project timelines, but your manager is too busy to update the team. This lack of transparency often leads to confusion and misunderstandings that could make the team members miss deadlines when it’s totally not their fault.Another common example is when important company matters are not well distributed throughout the organization. Employees could sense that they’re left in the dark, not knowing what’s going on. 3. Unrealistic Expectations Hard-to-achieve goals might be challenging, but if they are too far out of reach, it would be impossible for employees to achieve them. Companies that constantly set unrealistic high performance targets or unattainable deadlines can make employees feel pressured. Eventually, it’ll lead to burnout and inadequacy. In other words, employees would feel extremely exhausted, as if they’re always running without seeing the finish line. Plus, they might also feel like they’ll never be good enough. Therefore, companies should set attainable goals to avoid creating a toxic environment at work. 4. Bullying or Harassment Workplace harassment can vary from offensive jokes to violent threats and physical abuse. It’s common to see employees leave a toxic work environment because they could no longer endure being bullied. Creating a safe and inclusive workplace is essential as it gives employees a sense of security. So, any form of bullying, harassment, or discrimination in the workplace is definitely a clear sign of toxicity and should never be tolerated. If anyone ever crosses the line and abuses you at work, don’t be afraid to reach out to the human resources department for help. 5. Favoritism A work atmosphere with preferential treatment can create a perception of favoritism. You might notice that certain employees receive special treatment, while others are neglected.An example can be seen when a boss’ favorite employee often receives better benefits and promotions despite the fact that other employees also work as hard as they do. This is considered a warning sign of a toxic work environment that can create resentment among colleagues and damage team morale. 6. High Turnover If you begin to notice one employee resigning after another, that might indicate that there’s something fishy going on. Frequent employee turnover normally reflects that many people are not happy with the work environment. It eventually builds up a toxic work environment as it can disrupt productivity and increase workloads for existing employees. Plus, the workflow may be interrupted due to the additional time and resources needed for recruiting and training new employees. 7. Excessive Workload You know that there’s a toxic environment at work when you always have to handle a massive amount of workload. Especially, when there’s so much to do that you often have to bring your work back home and finish it late at night.In some cases, you may receive an overtime bonus, but you might come to think that having a good night's sleep is worth much more than money. In the end, this form of toxicity can lead to stress, burnout, and a lack of work-life balance. 8. Lack of Growth Opportunities No one wants a stagnant career. Companies that don’t provide career advancement opportunities or skill development for employees are one of the toxic work environment signs. The lack of support in helping you grow in your career journey can eventually demotivate and hinder your professional growth.So, if you feel like you’re stuck in the same position for far too long, then it’s probably time to move on from this toxic workplace. 9. Dysfunctional Leadership Ineffective leadership can also signal a toxic work environment. Unfortunately, it can cause instability, mistrust, and a lack of clear direction as it spreads throughout the organization.You know that you might be working under a dysfunctional leader when they frequently and unreasonably change their minds or strategies without clear explanations. This inconsistency makes employees find it difficult to understand what is expected of them. What Causes a Toxic Work Environment?Toxic work environment signs don’t just appear out of nowhere. The factors contributing to such a toxicity can vary in different organizations. Here are 4 main factors of what makes a toxic work environment: 1. Poor Leadership One of the most common reasons employees leave a toxic work environment is because of their managers. Putting effort in doing your job is exhausting enough, let alone having to deal with toxic leaders on a daily basis.Bosses who lack empathy, communication skills, or the ability to handle conflicts effectively can contribute to a hostile work environment. This is because employees feel left behind, when their managers should be the one who understands them the most.📚Further reading: How to be a Good Leader: Guide to Mastering Leadership! 2. Inadequate Policies and Procedures It's possible that out-of-date policies don't give clear guidance on what behavior is considered unacceptable in the current context. Especially for organizations with loose enforcement of their policies, there’s a high chance that unacceptable behavior may go unchecked. And it could get even worse if employees start to perceive that there are no consequences for such bad behavior.Over time, it gradually fosters a toxic work environment where unwanted behavior becomes normalized within the workplace culture. The next thing you know, employees may come to accept or tolerate behavior they initially found offensive. 3. Negative Workplace Culture You can sense a toxic work atmosphere when you always hear people gossiping about one another as if it’s a normal activity during lunch break. Such a norm is one of the causes of a toxic work environment because it encourages employees to backstab each other. Instead of nurturing a collaborative work environment, this negative work culture can make them feel competitive and pitted against their own team members. 4. Inadequate Employee Support Every employee needs good support, be it resources for their well-being, mental health support, or opportunities for skills development. Companies that can’t provide the help employees need, when they need it, can make them feel forgotten.For example, a new employee just joined a company, but no one in the team cares to invite them for lunch. Or, another employee has never received proper training to improve their skills. Whichever the case, the lack of employee support is a potential factor that contributes to a toxic work environment. 📚Further reading: 12 Tips to Motivate Your Employees and Be the Best ManagerTips on How to Deal with a Toxic Work EnvironmentOnce you notice that you’re in a company with a toxic work culture, it’s really important to know how to handle it before it drains your energy outside work. So, we’ve come up with 3 useful tips on how to deal with a toxic work environment. Tip 1: Self-Care and Well-being Health comes before anything, even work. First things first, make sure to prioritize your physical and mental health if you know that you’re in a toxic work environment. A negative work atmosphere would make you constantly feel stressed or very drained from work. Those warning signs are definitely trying to tell you to get help.So, it’s important to seek support from the people you are close to. They could be your friends, family, or even a therapist outside of work. Tip 2: Seek Support from Colleagues Remember that you’re never alone. Toxic work environment signs can come in various forms. Once you begin to sense them, don’t be afraid to share what’s on your mind with the coworkers you trust. Surprisingly, they may be experiencing the exact same thing you’re facing. That’s why talking to someone at work about your issues could be a way out to potentially collaborate on solutions. Tip 3: Know When to Walk Away Once you’ve reached the point where the toxic work environment you’re going through is beyond your tolerable limit, we recommend you to just leave your job. Enduring negative vibes can impact your physical and mental health, and well-being in the long term. So, deciding to leave a toxic work environment might be the best decision you’ve ever made. In fact, there are a lot of organizations with a positive work culture out there waiting to welcome you in.📚Further reading:Easiest Way to Write a Resignation Letter (+ Sample Emails)ConclusionWe’ve covered all the important aspects about a toxic work environment. Now that you know what it is, what its signs are, what causes a toxic workplace, and the tips on how to stay positive in a toxic work environment, make sure to always keep in mind that it should never be tolerable. Also, seeking useful career advancement tips from online platforms could be another way out of the toxicity you’re going through. Remember that you can always rely on Cake for its abundant resources for career development and guidance!With Cake, a resume builder, we provide you with hundreds of resume templates download and a wide variety of great resume examples that help showcase the best you. Landing your dream job will be a piece of cake!Create Resume--- Originally written by Ainee Setthamalinee ---

When it comes to motivating employees, one aspect that's sure to come up is employee promotion. It's natural for people to want to grow, and your employees are no exception. You may notice various signs in your employees that could make you contemplate offering them an internal promotion, such as: They're highly committed to their work.Their performance produces positive results in the workplace.They do more than what their job requires and help others.And so on If these indicators are clear, should you just promote them right away? The answer is no, especially when promoting an employee to a management position. There're many considerations to be taken and many challenges to face. For example, employee promotions may invite negative company politics due to jealousy. Or are you sure promoting from within is better than an outside replacement? Another popular case is that internally-promoted employees may need more time to be ready for more responsibility or struggle with managing people who used to be their peers. With this in mind, let's discuss the various aspects of employee promotion in the workplace. We will talk about promoting employees from within, the benefits, types of promotions, best practices, and tips to do so! Without further ado, let’s jump right in!Table of ContentWhat Is Employee Promotion?The Importance of Employees PromotionWhat to Consider When Promoting Your EmployeesModels Types of Internal Promotion5 Best Practices to Promote Your Employees3 Tips to Promote Your Employees Benefits of Employee Promotion What Is Employee Promotion?Employee promotion is when an employee moves up to a higher rank within the organization, resulting in increased salary, position, responsibilities, status, and benefits. It is a significant motivator for employees, as it is the ultimate reward for their dedication and loyalty to the organization. Promotion decisions are based on different factors, such as length of service, experience, seniority, and performance, and are guided by organizational policies. As a result, four different types of promotions can contribute to employee development, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.The Importance of Employees Promotion Below are 6 main benefits of internal promotion within an organization.Increase employee retention. Did you know that within the US 36% of employees in the US anticipate receiving a promotion within the next 12 months? Employee promotion is critical in retaining your best staff. Doing so doesn't mean taking them to higher ranks but recognizing their efforts. They will be happier about their work and more loyal to the company. They may also stop looking for new employment opportunities because your company gives them a reason to stay. Remember: a study conducted by Employee Benefits News has shown that losing an employee can cost your company a significant amount, precisely 33% of their yearly salary. This means that when an employee resigns, you're losing their skills, time, and a considerable amount of funding.Improve workplace morale and productivity. By embracing employee recognition initiatives, like internal promotion, you encourage your staff to keep up their good work - to pursue their career goals while contributing to the company. The reason is that when an individual tends to work harder and tries to validate their efforts, this will also boost other employees' passion and productivity.Reward employees and make them feel valued. Job promotions generally include higher salaries and more benefits which can be considered as proper rewards for your best employees. Some even see promotional opportunities as sentimental gifts that make them feel and push themselves to work harder.Promote healthy competition in the workplace. Not all individuals who have been working hard can earn a promotion from within the company. That's why employee promotions may create and foster competition in the workplace. This will motivate them to work harder and deliver the best possible results in order to reach their goals - which can be higher salaries and/or better promotion opportunities.Help develop leaders. This is the typical case of supervisors or managers being promoted from within the company. As mentioned earlier, promotion opportunities can't be given to everyone. Leadership potential is one of the most significant factors determining who should be promoted to manager. Hence, staff promotion allows employees to better develop their leadership skills for future success.What to Consider When Promoting Your Employees Before making a decision on announcing an employee promotion, you need to consider the following things: Skills and abilities When promoting an employee, you have to make sure they’ve mastered their skills in the current role and possess essential skills for the future role. Otherwise, they can't assimilate perfectly into the new role. Commitment to work Another sign to show that your employees are ready for a higher role is when they are highly committed to their duties, including the ability to meet deadlines, the willingness to take on new tasks, the time spent on each duty, etc. Work performance Some employees are just naturally committed and dedicated to what they do. However, they fail to deliver great work outcomes. Promoting an employee to the manager based on their work performance also exhibits fairness in the workplace and thus prevents a toxic work environment. Emotional intelligence A survey reported that 75% of hiring managers would promote a high EI worker over a high IQ candidate. Think of “jobs" as a whole ecosystem of people and systems, not just a series of tasks. To perform well and manage people effectively, your best employees will need the following traits that demonstrate the characteristics of an EI personality: Stay calm under pressure and conflictsBe empathetic to othersMake decisions thoughtfullyAdmit they're wrong and learn from their mistakesBe open to criticism Team player qualities The ability to work well within a team is likewise very important when considering promoting an employee. Collaboration is one of the fundamentals of success in the workforce, so the staff you promote should necessarily be an active team players. Seniority It's debatable whether the length of service can determine a job promotion. Work experience matters, but of course, it needs to be evaluated with all the factors explained below. Another scenario is promoting an employee to the manager instead of looking for an outside replacement. There're several extra concerns that you need to think about, including: Leadership potential When an employee gets promoted, he/she will have more responsibilities to handle and more people to manage. So, make sure they have strong leadership skills, such as: Communication skillsProblem-solving skillsDecisivenessConflict resolutionTask delegationIntegrity Willingness to take on more responsibility Here comes a good indicator for internal promotion - your best employee is expressing a desire to learn more and take on a new challenge. Does he show any interest in a new working field? Is he happy to accept additional job tasks and duties? Or is he willing to handle more important, higher-stakes work? If so, you need to consider that employee for a promotion to a managerial role. Requiring little supervision When individuals don’t need to be guided and reminded constantly of their tasks, they’re demonstrating the ability to work effectively with little or no supervision. That means they can manage themselves and take ownership of their tasks.Models Types of Internal Promotion 2 models of staff promotion Competitive model:Generally, a competitive promotion occurs when employees compete with each other and prove their worth to employers in order to be promoted to a higher rank position. This model takes into account employee performance, skills, seniority, and other vital factors.Non-competitive model:In contrast, an employee promotion is defined as a non-competitive promotion when there is no pool of candidates to compare against the selection that was made.4 types of staff promotion Horizontal promotion: When you give your employees a pay raise as a reward but no clear increase in responsibilities. Examples of a horizontal job promotion include shifting from a specialist to a senior specialist or a manager to a senior manager.Vertical promotion: This type of employee promotion brings about changes in their work scope, salary, benefits, etc. - for instance, a copywriter to a content manager. This can also be moving from the functional head to the chief executive.Dry promotion: When you promote employees without increasing their pay but assign them a higher-level job. An example of this job promotion is a University Professor made Head of the Department without a raise.Open and closed promotion: While an open job promotion gives all of your employees an equal chance to advance their careers, only selected candidates are eligible for a close promotion.5 Best Practices to Promote Your Employees 💡 Determine the model and/or type of job promotion. When considering who deserves a promotion, you also need to think about which model or type of job promotion that individual is suitable for. This is a big decision to make, and you have to make sure you do it right from the start. 💡 Create the promotion criteria. Based on your company culture, you will need to create a list of different criteria to decide employee eligibility for job promotion, such as: Length of service in the companyTenure in the jobWork performanceSkills required for the new role 💡Announce the promotion opportunity. The next step is to notify all the staff of the opportunity so that they can apply for it. Normally, many companies choose to post positions internally on the intranet or send an email to every employee. Check out this site where the North Seattle College announces plenty of promotion opportunities. 💡 Interview candidates. For vertical promotions, the interview is generally held to select the best fit among your best employees to promote within the company. Here are some questions you can ask them during the job promotion interview: What is your biggest achievement in the [ABC] department?Can you share some knowledge of the position you are being considered for? What do you like best about this role?Why should we consider you for this job promotion?If you were promoted, What would you seek to accomplish in your first three months in the new role if you were promoted?If not, how would you react? 💡 Make your decision known. Announcing an employee promotion is a great opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of newly-promoted employees while boosting your team’s morale. You can do this via either email or a public statement. A promotional announcement should include: Congratulations to the individualThe key achievements that led to the job promotionThe new role with specific duties and responsibilitiesThe call for others to congratulate the team member3 Tips for Promoting Your Employees ✨ Consider your employee’s goals and expectations. Always keep in mind to choose the person who wants the job, not the title! Employee promotions should be a joy to give. Hence, make sure they will be content in the new role. To do so, managers like you should consider their career goals and expectations - especially what they truly enjoy doing at work. ✨ Share selection criteria in advance. Since you already establish a list of criteria to decide employee eligibility for internal promotion, sharing this ahead of time will allow potential candidates to better prepare for their interviews. Furthermore, this can help foster a fair process for promotion from within the company. The workforce will believe that managers don’t play favorites, and promotional opportunities are fairly awarded in the workplace. ✨ Give constructive feedback to candidates who are not selected. Besides announcing an employee promotion, you also need to provide some feedback to those who did not get promoted. They will thus understand why they weren't selected for the role this time, what skills they're lacking, or what they need to do be the best candidate next time. Here are the right ways to deliver constructive criticism after a job promotion: Balance the positive and the negative.Be empathetic but direct and specific.Avoid comparing the candidates not selected against the criteria.Talk face-to-face.Don't make it personal. Conclusion Employee promotion has a significant impact on employee satisfaction. It enhances engagement, morale, and productivity while reducing absenteeism. Moreover, promotion is an effective tool for retaining employees and reducing attrition. Many companies struggle with this issue, but by conducting proper performance appraisals and promoting deserving employees, it can be resolved. Therefore, it is essential for companies to promote employees at appropriate intervals. Progress is crucial for the success of any business, and promotion is a step toward achieving that.Found this blog helpful? Follow up for more workplace management tips!Cake is an online resume builder and the best talent community. Besides helping job seekers find their dream job, we also provide employers with leading employer branding and recruitment services. You can also find top talents with our talent search portals, view millions of resumes and choose the most suitable ones! — Originally written by May Luong —

Created by Cake“Should I quit my job if it makes me unhappy?”“Should I leave my job for more money?”“Can I quit my job due to stress?” If these kinds of questions have been on your mind for a while, these are the signs you should quit your job. Whatever your reason for wanting to leave a job, doing so is not a failure— what matters is whether you actually enjoy what you’re doing and whom you’re working with. If you’ve decided to leave the current role, make sure you do it as professionally as possible. Some things you need to consider are showing your employer and the HR manager good reasons for resignation and giving them proper notice in advance. In this article, you will learn about:7 Signs You Should Quit Your Job Immediately6 Good Reasons to Leave a JobReasons Why You Should Not Leave Your JobHow to Quit Your Job and Leave On Good Terms7 Signs You Should Quit Your Job ImmediatelyIf you’ve noticed the following signs, it's time to quit your job. Note that in this part, we will focus on factors that push an employee out of the role. 7 Signs You Should Quit Your Job ImmediatelyThere is a high turnover rate at the company.The company has no future.Your workplace is toxic.You are not growing professionally.You are no longer contributing at work.You are not motivated.You are not valued at work.1. There is a high turnover rate at the company. The turnover rate refers to the percentage of employees who leave a company within a certain period of time, including those who resign voluntarily as well as being fired or laid off. Below are the major drivers of employee turnover:Job contentWork satisfactionStressCompensationCo-workersLeadershipExternal environment Different businesses and industries have different expected turnover rates. But generally speaking, a high turnover rate is often the result of negative employee experiences. Thus, if your company has high turnover, it will also affect your mood and productivity too. 2. The company has no future. As an employee, you expect to work for a financially-secure company with a clear vision. If not, you may feel less secure in your role and worry that you may be laid off due to the company closing or downsizing. So, how to know when it's time to leave a job? Observe the financial position of a company before applying for the job and while working there. Additionally, you can pay attention to whether the company's vision and mission are not aligned with what has been mentioned in the job interview. 3. Your workplace is toxic. Oftentimes, being dissatisfied with the work environment is one of the major reasons for wanting to leave a job. Negative workplace culture can present itself in different ways, but generally is made apparent by the following practices: Your workplace has poor communication.Many people are calling in sick or, worse, are working sick.There are many cliques, gossip, and rumors but no genuine friendships among coworkers.Almost everyone doesn't appear to be happy working there.The higher-ups demand that employees like you have to agree with everything they say and do, and they also set very high standards. Working in a toxic workplace can lead to stress, burnout, damage to your self-esteem, and serious disruptions in your normal life. Hence, consider leaving an organization if you notice some signs of negative company culture. 4. You are not growing professionally. A lack of future opportunities can bring a sign that you should quit your job. When pursuing a career, you should also care about your professional growth. That means you have chances to acquire new knowledge and skills, take on more responsibilities, and thus bring more value to the employer. Hence, if you feel like the managers can’t support your career advancement, that’s when you should tell yourself “I want to quit my job.” 5. You are no longer contributing at work. When you first start a new job, the employer details all of your responsibilities and duties that you are excited about, challenging tasks and opportunities to learn and make contributions to the company. However, things have changed over time—you realize what you're doing is entirely different. You find what you have been working on is boring and, even worse, doesn't create much value for the employer. That will be a clear sign indicating it's time to quit your job. 6. You are not motivated. According to a study by LinkedIn in 2019, not feeling a strong sense of purpose is among the top reasons people leave jobs, making up 35% of the 3,000 professionals surveyed. Quite simply, it means that you dread going to work and don't really enjoy what you're doing every day. Moreover, you don't see your work having a purpose and/or creating an impact. For that case, it's an appropriate reason for leaving a job. 7. You are not valued at work. Does your employer often provide you with positive feedback and praise? Or does your company run employee-recognition programs of some sort? If the answers are no, your work is likely not valued by others in the company. It's never pleasant to be unseen and unheard at work, especially when you contribute to the success of the team or the company. Since employee recognition is very important in the workplace, it's time you tell yourself “I want to quit my job and find a better employer” where your efforts are valued more. 6 Good Reasons to Leave a JobNow, let’s take a closer look at pull factors and personal reasons for leaving a job with examples of a specific situation as shown below. A better job offerRelocation planPersonal conflictsScheduling issuesPursuing further educationCareer change ✨A better job offer “Should I leave my job for a better one?” Everyone has different expectations about salary, benefits, and career advancement. If you have been made a better offer that meets or ,even better, exceeds your expectations, leaving your job for it seems to be a no-brainer. However, you should still carefully weigh the pros and cons, and make sure it’s potentially a big improvement. ✨ Relocation plan Looking to live somewhere else can also be an appropriate reason for leaving a job. For example, you want to move to somewhere with lower living expenses and/or more things to do, or you prefer to live near your family and friends. If you work remotely, you don’t necessarily need to quit. However, consider this as a sign to quit your job since it might affect your life in the long run. ✨ Personal conflicts Your personal life has changed and your current workplace cannot accommodate—that's when you should quit your job. Let's say you find it hard to get along well with your colleagues even though you are all nice. Or maybe, the current job involves a lot of travel, which doesn't really match your lifestyle. Your partner might even be moving to another city or country where he/she gets a new job offer. These kinds of things will lead to changes in your personal life, indicating a sign it's time to quit your job. ✨ Scheduling issues Sometimes being unable to resolve a scheduling conflict, either due to child care arrangements or personal issues can also be a good reason for leaving a company. ✨ Pursuing further education You have decided to go back to school to further your education, either on a part-time or full-time basis—this can necessitate a job resignation (unless you can maintain a work-study-life balance). However, it's still better to focus on one thing at a time. Given the demands of your job and having a busy school schedule, your current employment may no longer be a good fit. ✨ Career change Here are the top reasons for wanting to leave a job as career-changers are becoming more and more common nowadays. Many of you feel like you have been doing the same thing for too long, and now you are looking to do something different. It can be a new field, a new industry, or a new career path that may bring you a lot of exciting challenges. Upon deciding when you should quit your job for a career change, make sure you know exactly what you're passionate about and what you want to do for the next employment. Reasons Why You Should Not Leave Your JobTo know when it's not a good idea to leave your job, check out the following reasons.💭 You are overlooked for a promotion. Of course, it's hard to feel happy, or even content, in the workplace for being passed up for a promotion. Even so, you need to figure out why other colleagues can make it whereas you can’t. There're many factors contributing to career advancement and getting a promotion takes more than just doing your job well. 💭 You receive harsh but fair criticism. An inappropriate reason to leave the current job is that you are not willing to accept negative evaluations. Instead of quitting, try to reflect on constructive feedback given, which is very vital for your professional growth. 💭 You don’t know why you want to quit. Obviously, this is not either a sign you should quit your job, or a good reason for leaving a company. Having no clue about the situation means that there is nothing serious that affects your work and life. 💭 You don’t have a clear plan for the future. You will always need to be well-planned at every stage of your life, especially the moment your gut tells you “I want to quit my job.” It's not a good idea to leave the current position while you don’t know what you’re passionate about and what you want to do next. That will make you feel your life is pointless and meaningless in the long run. 💭 You haven’t tried to consult HR or your manager to resolve issues. To stay or leave the company is your decision. Yet, you should have a conversation with your boss or the HR manager so they can give you important counsel. There might be some issues at work that they are unaware of, and thus they can't help you resolve the problems. How to Quit Your Job and Leave On Good TermsOnce you have enough appropriate reasons for leaving a job, do it properly and professionally. Step 1: Know why you are leaving. You can keep the actual reason to leave the current job to yourself. However, prepare something nice to say when being asked by your boss and even the potential employer in the next job interview. Step 2: Check your current contract. In the employment contract, you can find the notice period and any details relevant to your current benefits. Reviewing this carefully will likely ensure that you follow every essential step of resignation without missing anything. Step 3: Check unemployment benefits. Upon your resignation, you may receive a severance package from your employer, including your final paycheck, compensation for unused PTO or holiday breaks or a 401(k) account. Depending on your situation, you may also want to look up labor laws to see if you qualify for unemployment benefits offered by the government that provides you with temporary income when you’re no longer employed. Step 4: Inform your manager and the company in advance. Normally you will need to notify your employer at least two weeks in advance. Give them a good reason to leave your current job and avoid being negative. This is not only part of the resignation process but also work etiquette, so they can have the time to find your replacement. Step 5: Write a polite resignation letter. This is the last but most critical step in quitting a job—to write a letter to inform your employer of your intention. A resignation letter should cover the following elements:Date and addressYour job titleYour name and your manager's nameResignation dateReason for leaving the current jobGratitude to the employerYour contact infoClosing Signature💡 Pro Tip: Keep it short, simple, and polite!🔑Key Takeaways:All in all, be wise when seeing signs that it’s time to quit your job versus signs telling you that you shouldn’t. Do the reasons come from yourself, the company, or both? Have you talked to your boss or the HR manager regarding the issue?If you’ve decided to leave your current role, make sure you have a specific plan for your career path. And most importantly, keep in mind to resign professionally so you can leave on good terms.With Cake, you can easily create a CV online and download your CV’s PDF format for free. Land your dream job and create your CV online (free download) now!Create CV--- Originally written by May Luong ---

Every time an employee leaves a company, their departure will have a certain number of negative effects on the company. The employers would have to incur these detrimental effects in the company’s finance, morale, and future development. The mitigation and control on such rate of employees’ departure are essential to the overall success of any business operation. A low employee turnover rate is statistically beneficial in improving the quality of your company and its workforce. However, it is not an easy task to tackle. In addition to the actual problem-solving of the issue, the identification of the cause of such a phenomenon is itself a big headache for any employer. What is the cause of employee turnover? Are the turnovers positive and negative to the company? These are all potential issues that the employers might have to face when they are in the process of understanding such figures and trying to prevent a high employee turnover.Table of Contents:What Is Employee Turnover?How to Calculate Employee Turnover?Causes of Employee TurnoverHow to Prevent Employee Turnover?Final TakeawaysWhat Is Employee Turnover?In terms of human resource, the term, turnover, means the replacement of employees. Such a number is often calculated in percentage, and thus the name turnover rate. Employee turnover or employee turnover rate is the number of employees that leaves a company over a certain period of time. High Employee Turnover Rate A high employee turnover is characterized by the figure where more than 28% of an organization’s new employees leave within the first 90 days of their employment, while a healthy employee turnover should not exceed more than 10% of that same number. Healthy Employee Turnover Rate It is necessary to let go of underperforming personnel sometimes, and thus a healthy employee turnover rate means a proper replacement and adjustment of the current workforce. On the other hand, a high employee turnover rate can be a symptom of poor management, internal miscommunication, and many other underlying problems within the organization’s operation.📚Further reading:How to be a Good Leader: Guide to Mastering Leadership!Types of Employee Turnover As previously stated, employee turnover only suggests the leaving of employees. Yet, there are many different types of employee turnovers according to the cause and effect of the turnovers themselves. Here we will introduce 2 different classifications within which there are two types of employee turnover. Voluntary and Involuntary Turnovers As the name suggests, voluntary turnover happens when the employees resign from their positions willingly as a result of their own employment decision, while involuntary turnover indicates that such decision is done by the employer or other parties or factors other than the employees themselves. Voluntary turnover can be driven by the employees’ lack of advancement opportunities in their current work environments or better career opportunities elsewhere. On the other hand, involuntary turnover is usually caused by employees’ poor performance or staff conflict, where the employer plays a big part in contributing to such turnover type. Desirable and Undesirable Turnovers Rather than focusing on the cause of the turnover, desirable and undesirable turnover focus on the effects of employee turnover based on whether they are positive or negative, in the other words, desirable or not for the employers. Undesirable turnovers are characterized by their negative effects on the business operation, such as the decline in the organization’s overall productivity and the increasing cost in hiring and training new employees. Yet, desirable turnover can benefit the company by replacing poor-performing employees, or unfit characters in the operation.How to Calculate Employee Turnover? Being a crucial index in the diagnosis of a company’s well-being, employee turnover rate helps the employers better understand their operations and workforce. Such figure can be simply calculated, using the following formula:Employee Turnover Rate FormulaCauses of Employee TurnoverThe following list concludes some of the common reasons behind employee turnover: 1. Lack of Career Development Opportunities Employees value career development. In some cases, they will even settle for lower compensation in exchange for better advancement opportunities. According to Zavvy, about 94% of employees would stay longer at a company where development opportunities are offered. On the contrary, turnovers can occur due to the absence of such opportunities. 2. Overwork/ Burnout Burnout is a massive hindrance in employee retention. According to a study done by the Engagement Series by Kronos Incorporated and Future Workplace, more than 40% of HR managers believe that burnout is responsible for at least 20% of the annual workforce turnover. 3. Negative Feelings towards Management Resentment towards management is one of the most common reasons why employee turnover takes place. Miscommunication or conflict between the management and workforce is the reason behind more than half of the voluntary employee turnover in the workplace. 4. Toxic Work Environment Toxic work environment is not only an influential reason behind many of the employee burnout, but it is also a major contributor to employee turnover. Bad leadership, gossiping, exclusion, or simply workplace bullying, can all be reasons that constitute a toxic work environment.5. Lack of Work Life Balance Employee’s mental and thus psychosomatic well-being is closely related to their willingness to remain at a position. Factors such as commute or extensive off-clock workload, can affect an employee’s work-life balance greatly. 6. Involuntary Departure Sometimes, it is necessary to cut off toxic employees or poor performers for the overall well-being of the company. Such departure will subsequently result in an increasing number of employee turnover rates. 7. Natural Career Progression Natural career progression might influence the employee’s decision on whether they should remain at their current position. Retirement and career changes are examples of career progressions, and such departures are also considered as employee turnover. 8. Family or Life Event Sometimes, employee turnover will have nothing to do with the bad work environment or the employee’s dissatisfaction at work but simply their circumstances in life. Underlying health problems, family issues, and personal development in life are all reasons that might change the employee’s career trajectory and thus the company’s turnover rate. 9. Internal Promotion or Transfer For organizations that have an extensive network of branches or seed companies, internal transfers or promotions can affect the turnover rate in the branches, as individual employees transfer from one to another. 10. Better Offers from Other Companies Capable employees are constantly offered opportunities by competitors. Voluntary turnover is often driven by employees’ acceptance to a better offer elsewhere.How to Prevent Employee Turnover?As employee turnover can be inimical for business, it should be the employers’ best interest in preventing negative employee turnover. The following list should provide some insights for employers who wish to avoid employee turnover that are undesirable. Optimize Your Recruitment Process A right teammate is a much better solution to curb the problem of employee turnover than a later prescription to keep a wrong person for the job. Reviewing your job description and finding a better definition of the role are examples which employers can incorporate in finding the right candidates that will not only fit the job itself but the company’s culture as a whole. Creating a Good Onboarding Experience Initiate a first impression of the company and operational team with an onboarding process that is transparent, informative, and professional, as it is the perfect opportunity for the newly hired to set their expectations and understand the company culture. Studies suggest that a good onboarding experience can increase employee retention by 3 years. Encourage Employees to Share Their Thoughts Employee engagement is key in boosting the morale and productivity of the workplace and preventing toxic work environments, which consequently result in better employee retention. By encouraging employees to share their thoughts, not only can employers create a better work environment, but it provides direct information about the employees’ well-being.Respond to Employee’s Feedback Every feedback from your employees are potentially constructive suggestions in mitigating the underlying problems in your company’s internal operation. Therefore, employers should pay close attention to such valuable information and respond accordingly, and both parties can then establish a healthy platform for better communication. Regularly Review Salary and Benefit Policies As studies have shown that less than half of the employees will remain at their current positions if they do not need the salary, financial compensation is evidently a direct influence on your employees’ well-being, work-life balance and thus their willingness to stay. Employers should constantly review their compensation policies to avoid valuable personnel being poached. Final TakeawaysEmployee turnover, although necessary at a lower rate, can insidiously devastate the productivity, and worse, the morale of a company. We encourage employers to explore further on this extensive subject in addition to this article, as we summarize some key points of this article. • Employees’ Welling BeingBurnouts, lack of advancement opportunities and work life balance are very detrimental to the employee’s overall performance and subsequently their willingness to stay. As burned-out employees are 50% more likely to seek other opportunities, employers should be aware of these factors to make sure that the employees are not stressed out of their positions. • Communication and InclusionToxic environments are often a result of absent workplace inclusion, which are perpetrated by pre-existing malpractices and miscommunication in the workplace. The employer’s active presence in responding and communicating with the workforce can drastically decrease the likelihood of a discouraging work environment that is prompt to employee turnover. • Not Every Turnover Is BadA healthy organization will always experience employee turnover, as it helps filter out the bad influence and underperformers. Therefore, it is up to the employers to discern the right company policies to maintain a reasonable rate of employee turnover. They should constantly review their recruitment and compensation policies to minimize the risk of undesirable turnover.Want to read more HR blogs and recruitment news? Follow our blog for more! Cake is one of the best free resume builder in the market. We also offer other HR-related services like Job Search, Job Posting, Talent Search, Recruitment Services, and Employer Branding. Talk to our consultants for more!Create Resume --- Originally written by Jim Mao ---