Internal termination: What to do?
When people have already resigned internally, this harms both companies and the employees themselves. A new study looks into the question of what triggers this - and what countermeasures are possible.
One in five employees is no longer interested in his or her job and does only what is necessary, according to an estimate by HR managers. The consequences of "internal resignation" are serious for companies and employees: quality losses, declining productivity, increasing absenteeism and conflicts within the team are among them. The decline in commitment is often accompanied by mental and physical illness. A scientific study by the Initiative Gesundheit und Arbeit (iga) shows what triggers inner resignation and what companies can do to maintain or regain the commitment of their employees. For the three-part study, iga interviewed 230 HR managers in twelve large, medium-sized and small companies. Participants included organizations in the private and public sectors as well as a non-governmental organization.
Risk factor weak leadership
According to the survey, weaknesses in leadership behavior, among other things, cause employees to lose their commitment and reduce their work effort to a minimum. Lack of appreciation, lack of co-determination and unresolved conflicts are among the most important triggers, according to the respondents. But changes in the organization can also trigger internal resignation, especially if these changes are accompanied by staff reductions and work compression and are characterized by long phases of uncertainty. In this context, the HR managers surveyed estimate that around 20 percent of employees nationwide have already resigned internally. Interestingly, however, they assume that only ten percent have done so in their own companies.
For the employees affected, internal termination can have significant health consequences. HR managers confirm empirical findings that it can lead to depression, addiction and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, internal resignation of individual employees can have a negative impact on the rest of the workforce: social relationships deteriorate, there is extra work for colleagues and dissatisfaction among other employees.
Employee appraisals help
However, the iga.study also shows promising measures for maintaining commitment. According to the respondents, regular employee appraisals are particularly helpful. Among other things, it is important that employees have a high proportion of discussions (e.g. 80 percent). In addition, managers should be trained to conduct employee appraisals. In the opinion of a large proportion of those surveyed, company health management can also promote and increase employee commitment. Among other things, sports programs and health days were mentioned. Other countermeasures, according to the experience of HR managers, are: participation (e.g., by involving them in decisions) and greater scope for action and decision-making.
The results of the three-part study project "Maintaining commitment - avoiding internal resignation" have been published in the current iga.Report 33. The report also contains a list of best-practice strategies for maintaining and promoting commitment, as well as a checklist for identifying internal resignation among employees at an early stage.
The iga.Report 33 is available free of charge on the Internet at www.iga-info.de/veroeffentlichungen/igareporte/igareport-33/ ready for download.
