Why millions of employees leave their jobs every year. A Harvard expert explains | Today’s news

Employee turnover remains a constant challenge for businesses. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.2 million workers left their jobs in March alone, while the median job tenure is only 3.9 years. But contrary to popular belief, employees rarely leave just for pay, according to an expert at Harvard Business School.

Employees consider leaving long before they leave

Ethan Bernstein, co-author of Job Moves: 9 Steps for Making Progress in Your Career, says most employees engage in “passive job hunting” long before they quit.

“People leave jobs all the time. And they actually think about leaving … all the time,” Bernstein said.

He argues that managers often make the mistake of assuming that employees are not considering other opportunities. Recognizing the early signs of dissatisfaction can help employers intervene before employees decide to leave.

“Domino effect” behind job changes

Bernstein compares changing jobs to the process of making a big purchase.

Employees typically go through three stages:

A trigger event—such as frustration at work, a lack of growth opportunities, or the discovery of an attractive alternative—can move an employee from one stage to another.

By the time an employee formally announces their resignation, the decision has often taken months.

Money is rarely the real reason

While compensation is often cited as a reason for leaving, Bernstein’s research suggests that pay is usually a symptom rather than the root cause.

His team’s study found:

-14 factors that push people away from work

-16 factors that draw them to new opportunities

Many of these factors are related to:

“Every time there was compensation … there were deeper reasons. It was never compensation per se,” Bernstein said.

Why counter offers often fail

Many employers try to retain employees by offering them raises after they announce their plans to leave.

According to Bernstein, this strategy often produces only temporary results because it does not address underlying concerns.

“Compensation may hold people back for a while, but it’s short-term. It fixes the symptom, not the cause,” he explained.

Instead, companies should focus on understanding employees’ long-term career goals and helping them advance internally.

Why traditional career check-ins don’t work

Bernstein also criticizes a common manager question: “What do you want to do next?”

They argue that employees often struggle to answer because they assume there is a “right” answer.

As a result, career discussions can be vague and unproductive.

Rather than asking broad questions, managers should focus on specific factors that may influence employee satisfaction and career aspirations.

The pandemic has made workplace expectations more visible

Bernstein’s research, based on more than 1,000 interviews conducted between 2009 and 2024, found remarkable consistency in why people change jobs.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the so-called Great Resignation have brought many workplace concerns into sharper focus.

Remote work, flexibility, work-life balance and personal preferences have become more important than ever.

“The world of the pandemic has suddenly made a much more pronounced preference for how to work,” Bernstein said.

Why younger workers are more likely to change jobs

Younger workers tend to work shorter hours than older generations, but Bernstein believes this is not due to impatience.

Instead, younger workers are working in an environment of rapid technological and economic change.

They often feel pressure to constantly build skills and stay relevant in a rapidly changing job market.

“There is a widely held view that they need to make progress often,” Bernstein said.

Research suggests that younger employees are more likely to accept a minor career advancement rather than wait several years for a big promotion.

Exit interviews may not reveal the truth

Many companies rely on exit interviews to understand turnover, but Bernstein believes they rarely uncover the real reasons why employees leave.

Workers often provide answers they feel are safe and professional, such as:

– Improving work-life balance

These explanations can help avoid burning bridges, but often fail to capture deeper frustrations or unmet career needs.