Want Fewer Employees to Quit? Listen to Them

Most of us, at some time in our lives, have had jobs in which we felt unfulfilled, mistreated, or without purpose. But what, if anything, can firms do to address workers’ dissatisfaction and prevent turnover? Researchers decided to test whether a simple intervention — asking workers for feedback — might be successful at reducing quit rates. This idea is rooted in a prominent economic theory, first proposed by Albert Hirschman in 1970 in a book titled Exit, Voice, and Loyalty, which reasons that workers can do one of two things when faced with an unsatisfactory employment situation: exit the relationship (quit), or voice their concerns and try to work through their problems. A study of disaffected workers at a garment company in India found that giving employees an opportunity to air their grievances reduced the likelihood that they would resign and increased the efforts they put into their jobs as well.