You’ve heard this statement all the way along, right from your parents generation to our current one and even though it is a cliché, it still stands true.
Interviewing a few employees who recently resigned from their jobs, it was quite evident that people don’t leave their job or a company they leave people (in many cases, not all).
Here are two examples, where obviously the behavior of the managers toward their employees was a major put off.
Names (employees) in this article have been changed for obvious reasons, though interestingly two of those interviewed were OK with their names and the company name to be highlighted here to present the dark side of management.
Employees don’t leave companies, they leave people.
I left because of….
Continued Abusive Verbal Attacks
Lori had been with the company for 4 years, a mid-level finance manager for a small distribution company.
The relationship with the manager was never a happy one, but one week of continued abusive language and rude interruptions at work, and it was time to make a decision. Her decision was not instantaneous, and not within that week, Lori discussed with other peers and upper management and after some careful deliberation she decided that she would do better at a different firm, she didn’t have to take this s@#t any more.
After a couple of curt calls in some meetings, Lori was shocked at the combative and abusive behavior of her boss during a business interaction.
“After shouting insults directed primarily at me, he left the meeting and continued the barrage of personal attacks, through e-mail the remainder of the day. I, frankly, was shocked at his total lack of respect and felt abused by this man and quite a bit shaken.”
Lori tried to keep the relationship professional in the coming weeks, since everyone she knew suggested that don’t take it personally, but it just didn’t work out. She now had no drive and enthusiasm at work.
She says, “I guess it is not entirely one manager that is to be blamed here, there are many there in this company whose behavior has been deemed hostile by many employees. I’m just happy to be out of here, working with extreme stress and abuse is not the way I see my work-life.”
Azim Premji, CEO- Wipro, says in his article WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE ORGANISATIONS:
“Different managers can stress out employees in different ways – by being too controlling, too suspicious,too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit – often over a trivial issue.”
Micromanagement and an Autocratic Style of Management
Ayesha has worked in the Silicon Valley CA for the last 11 years and recently resigned from her IT job. The reason – “Just cannot handle the micromanagement and autocratic style of my manager, these last 9 months in this company have been more stressful at work than any before, it’s time to call it quits.”
The flexibility at work was at stake with this micromanager – he wanted employees to be present at 8 am sharp at the office and not leave until late evening with emphasis on not taking long breaks for lunch or even talking with colleagues!
Ayesha says, “He was actually noting down my team’s hours. What time they come and how long is the lunch break. My team was leaving at 5 or 5:30 because they were usually done with the tasks for the day.”
She struggled during the next couple of months but things became worse as the manager put her on a performance plan for no valid reason. She complained to the HR and then went through some rough politics at the workplace.
Ayesha says, “At some instances my boss turned on some pretty abusive temper, yelling “I am not an asshole and I am not demanding anything. This is a business requirement.” I wanted to tell him that maybe you are not but you are acting like one right now:).However it’s always best to keep your calm and not react back in similar way.
I like to manage people by objectives and results. And I expect my manager to be the same. Working in the Bay Area in hi-tech companies perhaps spoils you. You become more result oriented than time oriented. If things had to be done on time, you would spend extra hours if needed, for me efficiency is important. You cannot change people and their thinking but I can change the company. That is why people choose the option to leave the company instead of dealing with autocratic and micromanaging style of managers.”