Unorthodox concepts in HR : Part 2 – In the valley of attrition

In this post, let’s come back to a series that we had started a long time ago : Unorthodox concepts in Human Resources/People Management. In this series, we will explore concepts in HR that are unlikely to be found in ‘respectable’ text books (and also not taught in ‘premier’ business schools) but are very much real in the paradoxical world of people management  (See ‘The attrition principle’ for the first post in this series). 

What exactly is this valley of attrition? An employee is said to be in the valley of attrition when the mind has left the organization, but the body is waiting for an offer letter to arrive!

While this concept might seem unorthodox or even a bit esoteric, this phenomenon is quite common in organizations. In employee engagement surveys, typically there is a question on the ‘intention to leave’ (e.g. “Are you seriously considering leaving the organization?”)*. Now, if we compare the % of employees who answer in the affirmative to the question on ‘intention to leave’ with the actual ‘attrition rate’ we are likely to find a very significant gap (e.g. 55% of the employees express the ‘intention to leave’ but the actual attrition is only 15%  in a particular organization).

The gap (between the intention to leave % and the actual attrition %) indicates the % of employees who are ‘stuck’ or ‘trapped’ in the organization – they want to leave but can’t find a job. This could be because they got so busy with their jobs that they didn’t pay adequate attention to their employability (e.g. they didn’t develop market-relevant skills).  This could be because they haven’t developed job-hunting skills or because they are not sure if they can make a successful transition to another organization. This could also be because, while they want leave, they don’t want to let go of some of the ‘comforts’  they have got used to in the current organization (and hence they are in the 'comfortably miserable' state). By the way, the first reason  mentioned above, might give a hint for developing a ‘sinister’ employee retention strategy – making the employees less employable (or even unemployable) outside the current organization!

While there could be multiple reasons why people are trapped in their current jobs, it has important implications for employee happiness, employee engagement and the consequent business outcomes. 

Feeling trapped is definitely not a pleasant state to be in! If you have never been in 'the valley of attrition' (and hence can't connect to this), imagine yourself having to wait for a long time in the departure lounge of an airport with your flight indefinitely delayed!

The trapped employees are unlikely be to be in the ‘engaged’ category (i.e. putting in discretionary effort). They are likely to be in the ‘not-engaged’ or ‘actively-disengaged’ categories. These can lead to low performance and/or passive resistance! So while the trapped employees are not 'attrition risks' they pose even greater dangers to the organization from performance and morale points of view! If some of these trapped employees have 'identity that is wrapped in their job', this could even lead to workplace violence!

Any comments/ideas?

*Note :  It is a peculiarity of human nature that we are often more clear about what we don't want (I don't want to continue in this organization) as compared to what we really want (I want to join this particular organization)! The 'intention to leave' is somewhat similar to the 'flight' response in the 'fight or flight' basic repose to danger (or pain). This danger or pain can be psychological as well as well as physical. When we are running away from danger or pain, the main focus is to somehow get out of the current (dangerous/painful) situation and not really to get to a predefined better place. This can lead to sub-optimal career (job change) decisions especially in cases of 'intention to leave' triggered by specific events (e.g. being overlooked for a promotion, disrespectful remark by the boss etc.). In the case of intention to leave created by more enduring factors (like lack of person-organization or person-job fit; see 'On what good looks like'), the job changes are likely to be more thought-through/deliberate.