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It sounded good until I got to #2. This is utterly false. I would go so far as to say canonically-untrue: the only reason any employee leaves is because of thei

It sounded good until I got to #2. This is utterly false. I would go so far as to say canonically-untrue: the only reason any employee leaves is because of their boss. A good manager will keep an employee engaged, challenged, and happy. In fact managers can achieve this even if the company itself is not engaged, challenging, and a happy place. Good managers can also shield employees from an array of terrible dysfunction at the company level. All good managers I've ever had have this skill. A bad manager will not only expose company dysfunction, but magnify it, making the employee's job more difficult than if the employee has no manager at all. I've had the latter several times, and it's soul-draining. The rest of the article reads like a novice's take on the SF startup scene, which I happen to loathe anyways. One funny example is the #7 HR comment, which exposes a pretty big misunderstanding about HR. HR serves no useful purpose to the employee; it exists to shield the company from problems, nothing more. Improving HR will have no meaningful impact on employee retention. <Edited for tone.>

existencebox 12y ago
I don't mean to cherrypick, but to address your main point: I did not leave my last job because of my boss, to the contrary, he was one of the most motivational/mentor figures I'd ever had, bar none. (To the point that I actually really regret leaving.) I left because I was told that due to it being academia, I was hard capped at essentially <2% yearly raises unless I swapped jobs out and back, and holding myself to a hilariously low academic salary this early in my career was going to really set me back financially in the long run.
- silverpikezero 12y ago
  You make a good point. There are some kinds of "institutional dysfunction" that are too problematic to overcome. It that sense it's really not only about the manager. At best managers can carve out a small pocket of good work environment for the employee, but even that has limits that won't be enough for people to stay.
walshemj 12y ago
I have never left a job because of my Boss - not matter how good your Boss like King Canute is you cannot turn back the tides
eropple 12y ago
I've left jobs because of my boss. I've also left jobs because of completely unrelated reasons. My boss at TripAdvisor was a fantastic guy who I still hold in the highest regard and I'd go work for again if it made sense. But I was offered an opportunity simply not available at that job because it didn't exist and didn't matter to the company. I've also been privileged to work with HR people for whom the adage "never trust them" was completely false, because they were good people who happened to work in HR. So there's that, too. They were excellent sources of advice and problem-solving help when needed, and I consider at least one of them a friend even now that I no longer work for the company. So it sounds to me like you're projecting, and kind of being rude about it?
- silverpikezero 12y ago
  If by "projecting", you mean drawing on my experience, then of course I am. > I've also been privileged to work with HR people for whom the adage "never trust them" was completely false. I'm glad you had a good experience with HR. Being able to be friends with an HR employee does not invalidate the axiom that you should not trust an HR rep in matters of your career (happiness). There is too large a body of negative examples out there in order to safely ignore it. Everyone can of course can and will make their own choices, but I stand by my previous statements.
- bronbron 12y ago
  Eh, he's not wrong (even if he's being a Walter about it). HR is not a union for employees. HR is there to protect the company: It just turns out that the company's theoretical (keyword there) interests and the employee's interests align frequently (e.g. keeping the workplace free of discrimination, keeping employee morale up).
  - eropple 12y ago
    The point is, when you don't approach every interaction in an adversarial manner, you're remarkably more likely to not have them be your adversaries.
- Retra 12y ago
Iftheshoefits 12y ago
I've only left a job because of the boss one time. The other times were mainly because I was either unhappy with my role in the company or to pursue other career opportunities that presented better/more diverse challenges and superior compensation packages.
bbcbasic 12y ago
If you had replaced "only" with "most common" in your first paragraph, you'd probably get a few less "oh but I didn't leave because of my boss" replies. HNers are soooo logical!

existencebox 12y ago

I don't mean to cherrypick, but to address your main point: I did not leave my last job because of my boss, to the contrary, he was one of the most motivational/mentor figures I'd ever had, bar none. (To the point that I actually really regret leaving.) I left because I was told that due to it being academia, I was hard capped at essentially <2% yearly raises unless I swapped jobs out and back, and holding myself to a hilariously low academic salary this early in my career was going to really set me back financially in the long run.

silverpikezero 12y ago
You make a good point. There are some kinds of "institutional dysfunction" that are too problematic to overcome. It that sense it's really not only about the manager. At best managers can carve out a small pocket of good work environment for the employee, but even that has limits that won't be enough for people to stay.

walshemj 12y ago

I have never left a job because of my Boss - not matter how good your Boss like King Canute is you cannot turn back the tides

eropple 12y ago

I've left jobs because of my boss. I've also left jobs because of completely unrelated reasons. My boss at TripAdvisor was a fantastic guy who I still hold in the highest regard and I'd go work for again if it made sense. But I was offered an opportunity simply not available at that job because it didn't exist and didn't matter to the company. I've also been privileged to work with HR people for whom the adage "never trust them" was completely false, because they were good people who happened to work in HR. So there's that, too. They were excellent sources of advice and problem-solving help when needed, and I consider at least one of them a friend even now that I no longer work for the company. So it sounds to me like you're projecting, and kind of being rude about it?

silverpikezero 12y ago
If by "projecting", you mean drawing on my experience, then of course I am. > I've also been privileged to work with HR people for whom the adage "never trust them" was completely false. I'm glad you had a good experience with HR. Being able to be friends with an HR employee does not invalidate the axiom that you should not trust an HR rep in matters of your career (happiness). There is too large a body of negative examples out there in order to safely ignore it. Everyone can of course can and will make their own choices, but I stand by my previous statements.
bronbron 12y ago
Eh, he's not wrong (even if he's being a Walter about it). HR is not a union for employees. HR is there to protect the company: It just turns out that the company's theoretical (keyword there) interests and the employee's interests align frequently (e.g. keeping the workplace free of discrimination, keeping employee morale up).
- eropple 12y ago
  The point is, when you don't approach every interaction in an adversarial manner, you're remarkably more likely to not have them be your adversaries.
Retra 12y ago

Iftheshoefits 12y ago

I've only left a job because of the boss one time. The other times were mainly because I was either unhappy with my role in the company or to pursue other career opportunities that presented better/more diverse challenges and superior compensation packages.

bbcbasic 12y ago

If you had replaced "only" with "most common" in your first paragraph, you'd probably get a few less "oh but I didn't leave because of my boss" replies. HNers are soooo logical!