Too Much Turnover? Reasons Why Employees Leave and How to Make Them Stay

While employees leave the Department of Defense workforce every few years, naturally, it seems to happen more often and more in quantity now. Why are they leaving and how do you convince them to stick with you?

WHY DEFENSE EMPLOYEES ARE SAYING BYE TO THE INDUSTRY

Everyone has a different reason for jumping ship, but some reasons regularly surface lately.

1. Burnout

Whether it’s burnout from working onsite at a SCIF or working the same intelligence analyst job year after year, just through a different contractor, some employees leave the workforce due to burnout or just wanting a change of scenery.

2. FOMO and Money

According to SHRM, 80% of the entire workforce are concerned about their career advancement, and many people are leaving the once coveted cleared industry because the commercial sector is tough to compete with. It’s the nature of defense contracting; bidding on providing services to the federal government warrants them picking the lower price. But ensure that your overall salary packages are competitive with the private sector so cleared candidates don’t fear they are missing out on the money commercial companies have to offer.

3. Hitting the Pandemic Reset Button

Many employees are feeling the impact of living through a global pandemic. In fact, 72% say the pandemic caused them to rethink their skill sets, their work / life balance, and naturally their employer.

HOW TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES

So how should HR combat some of these reasons cleared candidates are leaving the workforce?

1. Give them more control – allow them career upward mobility by letting them get involved with different projects.
2. Be transparent – Start bidding some of your contracts within the current market rates. If you can’t do that because management insists you won’t be awarded work, acknowledge the state of the market, its frustrations, and offer alternatives.
3. Be realistic about auditing budget, especially discretionary spending – see where you can make wiggle room to increase the salaries you are able to offer due to the state of the market.

Leaders have a huge impact on the employee, their job satisfaction, and quality of life. Management and teams can better retain talent by giving an organization’s employees a sense of control, providing a transparent communication and work culture, and by supporting them through the ups and downs of defense contracting.

THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.