by Jerrie K. Lyndon
Just received a two week notice from your top creative employee? Chances are they will never tell you the true reason in fear of burning bridges for a future employment reference. Think about it – it takes sometimes up to a year for an employee to find a job in their field. If your employee is packing, the move has been long pre-planned.
Top ten reasons why Creative Professionals move on from a job:
1. Financial
Let’s get the most obvious out of the way first. It is unfortunate that many overqualified professionals in creative fields are stuck with student loans that practically suffocate them financially when they enter the workforce. Many graduates with Masters degrees have to “make it” on 32,000 a year – that is roughly 1,700 a month, after taxes and benefits (if they are lucky to have them). After average rent and car payment, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries, internet, you are left with just enough to cover the student loans if you are lucky. Forget about TV or vacation. Stacations and NPR is your thing now. Have dependents, pets, health issues, sport hobby or humble shopping habits? You better get back on the job market searching for better pay or find a second job. Tip: check on the industry averages to figure out what the pay should be. If you cannot increase the pay, and if they are getting paid 80% of the industry average or more, follow the tips under the reasons below to build a respectful and creative work environment – chances are the value of that will make it worth staying. Paying your employee only 75% of what they deserve or less? – nothing will stop the creative drain from your company.
2. Lack of appreciation and recognition from the boss
This one is my favorite employer’s pet peeve. A little “thank you” and “good job” can do wonders at the workplace. “I am paying you to do your job, i do not have to thank you” attitude is not going to fly with creative minds. The lack of gratitude will have grievous consequences and can result in your employees feeling uncomfortable to approach and talk to supervisers, feeling like their efforts do not matter. You have hired them for their creative mind, please make sure to cultivate the gratitude for its uniqueness.
3. Burnout
Especially occurs with salaried employees. Are they working more than 40 hours a week and not getting paid for it? Make sure to offer some compensation ( once again, gratitude is key) and that the work flow alternates from regular hours to overtime to slow: burnout will occur if you keep cracking the whip and galloping for an extended period of time. Brakes are essential for creative minds – make sure they take them. Find out why in my future posts.
4. Lack of Trust
Micromanaging is a killer of positive work environments. You as employer have trusted them enough to hire them, leave them alone and let them do their jobs with privacy and respect. Checking in on them to see if they are a couple of minutes late to work may seem like a good evaluation of their work ethic. Yet, to the employee your micromanagement says that you have nothing else to do with your time. Remember, creative minds are results driven, stand out of their way and they will do what they are meant to. If trust is not shown in the first 4-6 months of new employment, the employee is very likely to move on.
5. Inadequate Work Environment
Creative Minds are sensitive to their environment more than your usual employee – they are mindful of colors, shapes, layout, smell, interactivity with space, etc. In the past, I have had my office space be a closet with a wall leaking water – no good. Tip: do not have the funds to invest in a better desk or office environment? Allow creative minds to take ownership of the space by decorating it themselves, hanging images of what matters to them, using more white and black boards, paint it, etc.
6. Lack of work community
The feeling that you do not fit in starts with the co-workers and can happen due to many reasons: difference in age, location of office, lack of interaction with co-workers, overload. Truth is, interactivity and collaboration are essential for creativity. Tip: try team-building exercises!
7. Lack of growth potential
Creative Minds are in tune with the change. And change for them means growing as a professional, learning, staying curious and moving forward with a goal in mind. Tip: Cannot promise the next step on the career ladder in the near future? Keep creative minds growing by offering tuition reimbursements on adult education or college classes. They will be engaged, sharp, curious, and will only reel in better creative results from learning something new.
8. Lack of Employer’s Respect for Personal Time
If they are off the clock, do not call, email or text them unless it is absolute emergency. Remember that they have a life outside of work and it is the source of the their creative juice. Vacations and personal days are more than legal. There are times when they will need to go to the doctor, check on an important personal email, attend to a sick child, run to the bank – sometimes all that has to happen during work hours and is just has to be that way. Let it happen. They will appreciate it.
9. Work not matching creative potential
In the current economy it is the employer’s market! Overqualified Professionals are abundant, many starving for a job and willing to settle for something that just barely scrapes their field of study. As employer, you may think of it as an advantage, hiring that perfect employee who is (temporarily) willing to work for less pay. It turns out that the apparent advantage comes with a few sideeffects and high turn-around, costing your company HR bucks. Note: do not blame it on the generation, the cause is the lack of opportunity – not lack of commitment. Tip: give them a project that they can feel the complete ownership of – they are very likely to use their true ambition on it. And you may end up with the next big thing!
10. Appearance of impermanent employment
No one wants to remain on board of the Titanic while it sinks. If the conditions of the job and the attitude of the employer have taken the wrong turn, creative minds, just like any other mind, will be searching for a less-stressful and more permanent situation to avoid potential layoffs and conflicts. Massive Layoffs of 2008-2009 are still alive in our minds.
For instructions on how to get rid of a creative employee just turn the tables: do not give them raises nor appreciation, isolate them by setting up their office in a closet, proofread each e-mail they send, never say thank you, give them enough mundane non-creative work to keep them strictly behind the computer screen 12 hours a day, take away any initiative they have, make sure that they know their place by repeating “I am the boss here and you will do as I say”, ask them for their opinion and then no matter what they say tell them it is wrong, then follow up on their ideas and take the credit for it. Your creative employee will be moving on. Guaranteed!
Want to retain your creative talent? It is never too late! E-mail me at jerrielyndon@gmail.com
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