Slow Leaving

I predict that in the next few years, we will see a huge wave of resignations in software companies. We are in a period where the opportunity cost of leaving a role is high. There are few postings in the job market, and there are many people who are looking for work. The consequence of this is that people who are interested in moving on are sticking around a lot longer than they otherwise would.

So what can you do about this?

Most people I know in product and engineering are motivated by personal growth. Many people highly value autonomy, empowerment, and a “good” cultural environment in a job. Simply having a positive working environment is not a motivator by itself. Poor culture can motivate someone to leave, but a positive environment is the baseline expectation. This is why we see most people motivated by personal growth. This could be rewards, recognition, or maybe it is working on exciting projects they care about. It could also be opportunities to do new things or work towards a promotion.

Regardless of what each individual’s personal growth path looks like, if people are not growing, then they are “Slow Leaving”. You may have a huge number of people who are on their way out the door, you just do not know it yet. Once that opportunity cost changes and the market opens up, we could see a flood of resignations.

What can be done about this is to make sure everyone on your team is working towards their personal growth goals.