Understanding the Psychology Behind Employees Who Resign

In the world of human resource management, companies generally want employees who are loyal and committed to the company. This is not without reason. Employees who show commitment to their workplace means that the company will spend less money recruiting employees, can focus on operational activities, and can even have a distinct advantage if the employees are talented. If too many employees leave and enter, this will certainly hinder the company's daily operations, which will impact overall productivity.

Although there are times when employees – especially potential employees – decide to resign from their workplace. Losing potential employees of course has a significant impact on the company, because it is not uncommon for employees to have rare knowledge and skills. Therefore, understanding the psychological process behind an employee's decision to resign can provide valuable input for the company.

The Unfolding Model: When the Resignation Decision is Triggered by a Significant Event

A common view of why employees resign is feelings of dissatisfaction with the workplace. In simple terms, employees will stay in the organization if the rewards they receive are commensurate with their contributions and expectations. However, a model developed by Terence R. Mitchell and Thomas W. Lee from the University of Washington Seattle provides an alternative idea for the employee resignation process. Known as the Unfolding Model, this model conveys that a person can have the intention to resign after experiencing a significant event, known as shock. This event can be positive (such as getting married), negative (such as a problem with a coworker or boss), or neutral (such as getting a job offer elsewhere). This incident encourages thought and emotional processes, which will then encourage him to look for alternative places of work and ultimately, contribute to the decision to leave.

In general, there are 4 categories of events that can trigger an intention to resign.

A planned event.In this category, the employee already has a plan or expectation that he will resign if he experiences an incident. For example, she may already have plans to resign if she becomes pregnant. When she finds out that she is pregnant, she will automatically submit her resignation, sometimes without even looking for alternative jobs.

Unplanned events that conflict with an employee's ideal values. In this category, the employee may not have previously had plans or expectations of resigning, but he experienced an event that was interpreted as negative or contrary to his personal values. For example, an employee gets a new boss or coworkers on the team who often take credit for his ideas. This conflicted with his view of a supportive team and boss, which made him dissatisfied with his job and considering resigning.

Unplanned events that cause employees to compare their situations or jobs. In this category, the employee may not have previously had plans or expectations about resigning, but he experienced an event or obtained information that made him compare his current situation. For example, he received a job offer elsewhere, which then made him consider resigning.

A collection of small incidents that make employees feel dissatisfied with their work. In this category, employees do not experience surprising events (shock), but rather, they continuously experience events that cause dissatisfaction at work. For example, he may periodically experience delays in salary payments, or feel that his workload is often disproportionate to his wages. This can encourage employees to consider resigning. Employees may immediately resign without looking for alternative jobs, or they may look for alternatives first before resigning.

How to Retain Employees with Job Embeddedness

After understanding the employee resignation process, companies need to find out what factors can make employees stay. One of these perspectives is Job Embeddedness. This concept was also conveyed by Terence R. Mitchell and Thomas W. Lee. In this perspective, the reason someone resigns from their job is more often caused by a surprising event rather than dissatisfaction with the job itself. Therefore, factors outside the job, suitability for the job, and closeness to various entities in the organization and community can also have an impact on the decision to resign.

There are three dimensions of Job Embeddedness

1. Links

A person's formal or informal links or relationships with other people or groups at work and in the community, both inside and outside work. This can mean colleagues, team, boss, friends, family, team, and so on. One's network at work is just as important as outside the workplace. Leaving a job can force an employee to leave behind the people and team members he or she considers important and valuable. In fact, it is not uncommon for someone to stay in a job because he likes his relationships with coworkers, even though there are other things in the organization that he doesn't like. On the other hand, relationships with other people outside work, such as partners, children and parents can also influence the decision whether someone will resign or stay. For example, a female employee might consider leaving her workplace because she has to follow her husband or because she is pregnant.

2. Fit

Fit refers to a person's compatibility in work settings and outside work. In general, the feeling that an employee feels suitable or compatible with their workplace environment (person-environment fit) will be more likely to make them stay rather than resign. Perceptions of incompatibility, especially with personal values, will generally tend to increase the likelihood of resigning.

3. Sacrifice

Sacrifice is a material and psychological benefit that a person must leave behind when he or she leaves a job. For example, when leaving a job, a person may lose an attractive compensation and benefits package, challenging projects, training and development opportunities, job stability, and so on. Apart from the compensation and benefits aspects, there are also other, more subtle aspects, known as personal investment. Over time, personal investment tends to increase if someone stays at work, such as the time it takes to get a long vacation.

Knowing the reasons and process behind an employee's resignation will certainly be very useful for managers in planning and determining how they can manage the team and retain employees. Moreover, research shows that employees who feel fit with their work and team members will tend to stay. Therefore, early assessment of employee potential, competence and capabilities can be important to help find out whether employees will be fit for their job and workplace, which can reducing the likelihood of employees resigning.

Written by Herjuno Tisnoaji - Resident Assessor prasmul-eli