Employee attrition rates tend to soar in January. Why are workers more likely to leave at the beginning of the year? We identify some of the common reasons that cause employees to resign and look at some measures to help reduce rates of attrition.

Reasons Employees Resign in January

Considering that call centers witness some of the highest churn rates of any industry, they should be especially vigilant during January, when employees are most at risk. In previous blog posts, AnswerOn has covered the cost of employee attrition and touched on common reasons that call center agents churn. Here are some additional factors that increase an employee’s likeliness to leave in January.

  1. A Fresh Start. With the new year comes a time for resolutions and change. A worker who has been unsatisfied in their role might use January to refresh their career.
  2. End-of-Year Bonuses. Bonuses can affect employee turnover in two ways. As a survey.com survey shows, 29% of workers who left in January reported that a lack of a bonus raise directly contributed to them leaving. Also, some employees who plan on resigning wait to receive an end-of-year bonus. This allows them to take financial pressure off their impending job search.
  3. Recruitment Resets. Hiring typically slows down in the last quarter as the holiday season approaches. Managers are out the office, and companies overall are focused on employee vacation requests and office closures. This means that once workers return to work in January, the recruitment process begins again. A new recruitment season means a good time to get hired. So, people feel more confident about leaving their current job.
  4. Waiting It Out. Just like with end-of-year bonuses, many employees choose to wait until January to leave because it takes stress out of their holidays. Leaving in December means beginning a job search during the holiday season rather than spending time with family and friends.

Measures to Reduce Employee Turnover in January

While some employees who intend to leave in January will follow through with resigning, not all are lost necessarily. There are a couple of strategies that companies can embrace to improve the experience for employees and encourage them to stay.

  1. Foster Company Culture. The end of the year is a good time to focus on teams and relationships between employees and managers. If your company plans to revise policies in the new year that will benefit workers, use December to promote those changes to employees. Also, an office holiday party can be a good time to connect with employees in less formal ways.
  2. Start the New Year with Goals. January provides an opportunity for employees to reinvent their careers. Additionally, it also provides companies with the opportunity for change. The beginning of the year is a good time to consider implementing training sessions and workshops. Companies should showcase to their employees that workers have opportunity to advance in their career, to retain top performers.

Making company-wide policies that encourage teamwork and offer ways for employees to grow in the business can be effective ways to retain high performing employees. However, knowing who specifically is going to leave gives your managers an advantage in helping curb attrition. AnswerOn approaches employee attrition using data and a predictive model that proactively determines which employees are most likely to leave, the reason why they are at risk, and what actual steps you can take to retain them. Schedule a quick introductory call to learn about our no-risk, money-back guaranteed Pilot that shows an ROI in two months and will give you the answer to churn you’ve been looking for.