The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported more than 4.4 million people leaving their jobs in April 2022. This figure has become even more significant when considering the widening chasm in the labor market in which the current number of job openings (11.4 million nationally) nearly doubles the number of unemployed (approximately 6 million).

As a result, employers of all industries are forced to take creative approaches to retain talent to remain competitive. According to 2021 findings from McKinsey, the number one motivator for people who left their roles without another job in hand in 2021 was due to ‘uncaring leaders.’ After that, primary motivators included unsustainable work performance expectations, lack of career development opportunities, lack of meaningful work, and lack of support for employee health and well-being.

Although there is no ‘silver bullet’ that will singlehandedly stabilize today’s hyper-inflated turnover, these insights are interesting in that they seemingly point towards a significant contributor (either directly or indirectly) to that attrition: ineffective management.