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What would have kept them?

Every leaver in our exit questionnaire rates fourteen reasons for going and, for each one that mattered, picks the change that would have made a difference. Here is what they said, by sector.

By Ron EldridgeUpdated October 2026 · 4 min read · Source: great{with}talent leaver benchmark, 30 organisations · Fact-checked October 2026

Use the tool

Choose a sector to see the fourteen reasons ranked; open any reason to see the actions leavers say would have kept them.

Private sector

13 organisations, 2,279 leavers. Share of all leavers who said each factor was a major or contributing reason for leaving. Open a row to see what they said would have made a difference.

Career progression
49%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. A process to fast track my progression
  2. Feedback on my prospects of promotion
  3. Explain the promotion process & standards needed
Personal growth
46%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Development of my skills
  2. Create a development plan
  3. Work on some stretching projects
Reward and recognition
45%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Basic salary increases to reflect actual performance
  2. Benchmark and pay at current market rates for similar roles
  3. Explain how the salary scales work
Teamwork and cooperation
40%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Weekly team meetings to stay connected
  2. Create shared team goals
  3. Understanding other teams' goals
Job satisfaction
38%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Spend more time doing the parts of job I really enjoy
  2. A 'wish list' of projects/people/clients I'd like to work with
  3. Understand how my job contributes to organisational success
Confidence in the organisation
34%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Explain why key decisions are being made
  2. More visible senior management
  3. Share the impact/value of key decisions
Loyalty and trust
33%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Updates on why key decisions are made & being implemented
  2. Share thoughts on performance issues with management
  3. Chance to tell senior managers my challenges
Well-being
29%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Someone to talk to if the pressure is too much
  2. Working at home occasionally
  3. Let me leave early at times
Communications
28%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Informal talks with leaders
  2. Forums to discuss key organisational decisions
  3. Regular management updates on organisational performance
Relationship with line manager
26%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. More coaching to help me succeed
  2. Regular feedback on how I'm doing on my goals
  3. Opportunities to share my ideas & thinking
Belonging
23%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Chance to recognise colleagues who live our values
  2. Explain how our team helps deliver the vision & mission
  3. Explain how the vision & mission relate to my part of the organisation
Independence
16%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. More freedom to use my skills & style
  2. Shown more trust for key tasks relating to my work
  3. More freedom to shape my working day/week
Working conditions
16%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Give me the right equipment/technology/applications to do my job
  2. Properly working equipment/technology/applications for my job
  3. Better break areas (e.g. kitchen, shower, etc)
Ethical standards
16%
    What leavers said would have helped most
  1. Agree team behaviours for working together
  2. Leaders explaining how decisions link to our values
  3. Opportunities to contribute to corporate responsibilities

How to use this

Look at the actions, not just the ranking. Very few of them cost money. “Explain the promotion process & standards needed”, “a conversation about my career aspirations”, “create shared team goals” – these are management habits, and they are the things leavers say would have changed their decision.

Then compare with your own data. If you run an exit questionnaire, rank your reasons the same way and look for the ones where you sit well above your sector. If you do not, the guide to choosing an exit interview approach is the place to start.

Where the comparison comes from

Exit questionnaires completed through LastOpinion, our leaver survey, using the same core questionnaire in every organisation. An organisation is included only if at least 50 leavers completed it in the period, and a group is shown only when it holds at least 5 organisations. No organisation is named.

  • Private sector: 13 organisations, 2,279 leavers; the latest rolling 12 months for each organisation, ending between May 2026 and September 2026.
  • Public sector, education & not-for-profit: 7 organisations, 810 leavers; the latest rolling 12 months for each organisation, ending between June 2026 and September 2026.
  • NHS trusts: 10 organisations, 3,063 leavers; the latest rolling 12 months for each organisation, ending between June 2026 and September 2026.

The figures refresh as our reporting cycle adds new months, so they will move a little over time. They are a reference point, not a target.

Source: great{with}talent leaver benchmark, built from LastOpinion exit questionnaires. Actions are ranked by the number of leavers who chose them, counting each organisation’s three most-chosen actions for that reason. Benchmark your own unhappy-leaver rate with the unhappy-leaver benchmark check.

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