A new report published by Charity Job Finder has revealed that “toxic workplace culture” is the primary reason why people are leaving their jobs.
The report bases its findings on the Charity Job “I Quit!” Survey, which was conducted by Charity Job Finder in order to gain deeper insights into the sector’s struggles with employee retention. Around 300 charity workers responded.
The findings highlight some serious challenges within the sector, particularly around workplace culture, leadership and burnout.
62.1% leaving roles due to toxic workplace culture
Toxic workplace culture was the most common reason for leaving (62.1%), followed by poor management (13.8%) and low salary/lack of benefits (9.7%).
Employees overwhelmingly described their workplaces as toxic, chaotic and stressful, citing excessive workloads and emotional strain. None of the respondents stated that they never felt stressed.
According to the report, the most frequently used word to describe past workplaces was “toxic”. Other common descriptors included ”chaotic”, “unsupportive”, “stressful”, “dysfunctional”, and “oppressive”.
Leadership failures cited as another major problem
Leadership failures were a major issue, with only 1% of respondents rating their management as excellent, while 52.8% described it as mediocre.
Fair and transparent leadership (40.7%), and training and development (20%) were the top factors that could have encouraged staff to stay.
Burnout and work-related stress were widespread, with 70.3% of respondents reporting frequent or constant stress.
Recognition and appreciation were also found to be lacking. A total of 38.7% of respondents felt that their contributions were “not at all” valued, while 31.7% felt “rarely” valued. Only 17.7% felt “absolutely” valued.
Charity Job Finder: ‘Findings should serve as wake-up call’
Bev Garside, senior partner at Charity Job Finder, said: “These findings should serve as a wake-up call for the sector.
“Employees want better leadership, clearer career pathways and fairer workplaces. But we also need to recognise the challenges that managers face.
“Many are navigating complex demands with little support, limited funding for professional development and few opportunities for peer learning.
“If we truly want to improve staff retention, we must build a sector that supports not only frontline workers, but also the managers tasked with leading them.”
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