The rise of regional jobsites means that sourcing talent has become faster, easier and more cost effective for employers than ever. It also means that the job market is much more transparent; professionals can access it at anytime from anywhere for free. But with the ease of learning about new job opportunities, retention has become more important than ever before

Employers are investing more and more resources trying to better understand how to motivate, engage and hold on to their key staff. So why do professionals quit their jobs? Below Bayt.com offers a look at some of the top reasons why professionals may seek greener pastures.

1. Insufficient training

Today’s professionals are often hungry for their employers to invest in their skills development and training. With the days of lifelong job security long gone for many, and job tenures shrinking, professionals are cognizant that their skill sets need to be stay sharp to compete with others in the job market. And with the whole realm of employment reconfiguring to accommodate more consultants and freelancers, enabled by modern technologies, professionals are looking more than ever to rapidly build a skills portfolio that offers them a certain range of flexibility and autonomy across their career.

• According to Bayt.com’s ‘Reward Programs and Employee Engagement in the Middle East’ survey, 44.7% of professionals in the region say that more opportunities to learn and grow within the company is what they need to feel more engaged at work.

• Nearly half (45.8%) of professionals polled in Bayt.com’s ‘Good Working Conditions’ poll indicate that proper training and professional development were the most important factors in creating good working conditions.

2. Poor management

It is often said that professionals don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers.  Managing employees does take a special set of skills, necessitating a good degree of empathy, discipline and emotional intelligence. Employers promoting professionals to the management track should invest in training them on the requirements of the new role and continue to monitor and coach them closely to avoid disgruntled subordinates and disloyalty among those under new leadership.

• 31.1% of MENA professionals polled in Bayt.com’s Management Challenges in the MENA poll describe their manager as having ‘poor management skills’.

• 34% of those polled agree that good leadership and management skills are what they look for most when hiring senior management candidates.

• In another study, 17% of professionals describe their relationship with their boss as bad, and 24% said that their relationship with their manager is not stable and likely to depend on the boss’s mood.

3. Unsatisfactory compensation

While compensation isn’t the only reason professionals stay at a job, unfair and uncompetitive compensation is often cited as a reason jobseekers are in the market for a new role.  Compensation issues aren’t only made up of salary however; benefits and perks play a huge role.

• 31.6% of professionals in Bayt.com’s ‘Work Satisfaction in MENA’ poll say that what they would most like to change about their current job is the salary and 60.8% of professionals do not feel well compensated in their current job.

• 63% of MENA professionals feel that their salary is lower than the industry standards in their region.

• One in 10 respondents say that they have not received a raise in the last 12 months.

4. Stressful work environment

A good work environment alleviates stress and greatly lifts morale and productivity. Lighting, space, office layout, color schemes, and decorations all play a role in defining the physical work environment. Perhaps more importantly, company culture have a huge effect on work environment; outings, athletic activities, and celebrations as well as friendly HR policies really made the difference in the workplace.

• 32.7% of polled professionals rate the working environment in their company as ‘fair’ to ‘poor’. The same poll showed that 23.4% of employees feel that absenteeism in their organization is high.

• 15% of MENA professionals say that poor work environment is the primary source of stress for them.

5. No clear career path

Professionals crave reward and recognition and need to be feel confident that they have room to grow on their career path. Companies that don’t offer clear progress milestones and map out clear potential career paths for individual professionals risk losing them to companies that do show they appreciate their employees’ full potential and are constructively grooming them for growth.

• 34.3% of polled professionals say that there is no clear management track within their organization. 39.2% say there are no opportunities for career growth or advancement at their company.