The Top Reason Why People Quit

This is a guest post by Marika Krausova of the Communications Executive Council, our sister program for communications professionals. We’ve modified it a bit for a sales audience. Visit the original here!

Every quarter our sister program, CEB’s Corporate Leadership Council, publishes HR news and trends. The Q3 forecast just came out and it highlights some interesting key workforce trends.

In the first half of 2012, a quarter of the workforce was actively looking for a new job, and another 40% are passively open to taking a new position. Which means that there is pretty high chance that the guy two cubicles down from you who has been acting really shady lately and shutting his browser quickly whenever you approach his desk, is very likely out there actively looking for a new job.

If you’re wondering what would make your coworker want to leave his/her job, CLC has the answer. One of the key things that CLC measures each quarter are reasons for attrition. Not surprisingly, compensation is one of the key drivers of attrition, but there is one reason for leaving a job cited by employees even more frequently: future career opportunity. 42% of departing employees cite lack of future career opportunity as one of the top five reasons they are leaving their current employer. Compensation follows as close second, with people management, manager quality, and development opportunities closing the top five group.

To recruit and retain star talent, leading sales organizations provide reps with comprehensive reward packages that include opportunities for learning and advancement. For example, Philip Morris creates a fast-track promotion process for promising sales employees. Its sales leaders mentor high potential reps and encourage them to rotate among Philip Morris’s different business units to gain cross-functional experience. On a similar vein, Anheuser-Busch creates a shadow cabinet that mirrors the roles and responsibilities of the firm’s executive strategy committee to help develop a firm-wide perspective on strategic issues.

How does your organization recognize and reward sales reps through advancement opportunities?

SEC Members, review the Voice of the Sales Force that highlights the drivers of attraction and commitment that appeal to current and future sales employees and helps refine your employee value proposition. Also, see our topic centers on Talent Acquisition and Talent Development.