Why do we stay?

Over the years I’ve worked for some really great companies and managers. I’ve also worked for some truly awful ones!

Which got me thinking why do we stay? – sure the brand and the money might get you through the door but once you’re there it doesn’t keep you there…

Based on my own experience and the work I did at ebay and Bupa Global on employee engagement I think it comes down to, as with most things in life, relationships.

For me the key relationship and the one that has the biggest impact on your experience of working for that business is always with your manager. Having a manager that really takes the time to get to know you, really invests in you (and ideally ‘gets’ you), someone you can totally trust and knows how to have great conversations around your performance, development and career is what, I believe, really makes the difference.

Next are my colleagues - the ones I work closely with on a day-to-day basis. As always a sense of connection is important as is openness, trust and enjoying each other’s company. But, and this is important, are they good enough? Do you see them as your equals? Having colleagues that are as good if not better than you is important as it keeps everyone on their toes. From my experience it creates a healthy competitive tension that drives you to really push yourself to do your best work and being able to look back at what you’ve achieved with a real sense of pride is, I think, universally important.

Finally culture – do you feel you fit? For me fit is important on a number of levels. Firstly if the fit is there, building relationships, getting stuff done and generally doing your job should be easy. Secondly if you feel that sense of belonging you are much more likely to view the business as a place you could build a career rather than just do a job. At the end of the day who doesn’t want to have a successful career, in a business they love, working with people they feel a real sense of affinity and connection to.