Why So Many Good Employees Quit (And How to Spot the Warning Signs)
You’ve probably heard some version of this at work:
"We were shocked when they put in their notice. We thought they were happy."
Spoiler: they weren’t.
Good employees don’t just wake up one day and quit. They’ve usually been thinking about it for weeks, maybe even months. The signs are always there. Leaders miss them because they’re too busy, too disconnected, or too focused on the wrong metrics. Or because they’re not leading and they’re actually terrible to work for.
Let’s talk about why great people leave, what you should be looking out for, and how to intervene before it’s too late.
1. They’re Burned Out, But No One Notices
You can’t hustle forever. Even your top performers will break down if the workload is unsustainable, the priorities shift daily, or there’s no time to rest. When someone who used to be engaged starts missing deadlines, withdrawing from meetings, or looking perpetually tired, that’s not laziness. That’s a warning.
Most good employees won’t say, "I’m burned out." They’ll say, "I’m just tired." They’ll say, "I just need to get through this project." And then one day, they’ll quit.
The fix? Don’t wait for people to ask for help. Build a culture where recovery isn’t seen as weakness. And stop expecting high performance from people you’re actively exhausting.
2. They’re Delivering, But Not Growing
Being good at a job doesn’t mean someone wants to do that exact job forever. High performers want to be challenged. They want to stretch their skills. They want to grow.
If they’re hitting every target but haven’t had a growth conversation in a year, you’ve got a retention risk. If you’re relying on them to “just keep things running,” that’s a short-term win with a long-term cost.
Ask your best people what they want to learn. What they want to try. Where they want to go. If you don’t, someone else will.
3. They’ve Stopped Talking
Used to be they had ideas. Feedback. Opinions. Now they just nod. Keep their camera off. Say “all good” and move on.
This is not a sign that everything is good. It’s a sign they’ve stopped believing their voice matters.
Disengagement doesn’t start with resentment. It starts with disappointment. They spoke up. Nothing changed. So they stopped trying.
Fixing this takes more than an open-door policy. It takes action. When people give feedback, show them it matters. Do something about it or tell them why you can’t. But never let good feedback disappear into a void.
4. They Don’t Trust Leadership
This one’s harder to spot, because it doesn’t always show up in behavior, it shows up in energy. A shift in tone. A slight eye roll. A growing gap between what’s said in public and what’s said in private.
Trust erodes slowly, and then all at once. If your team doesn’t believe leadership will protect them, promote them, or tell them the truth, they’ll go find someone who will.
Trust is built through consistency. Transparency. Accountability. If you’re not cultivating that every single day, you’re creating conditions for churn, even if you don’t see it yet.
So What Do You Do About It?
Pay attention to behavior and tone.
Check in early and often. Don’t wait for exit interviews.
Respond to feedback with action, not defensiveness.
Make growth a regular part of the conversation, not a one-off event.
Build a culture that treats people like people, not just producers.
At The Threadsmith Group, we help companies build workplaces that people don’t want to leave. If you’re losing good employees and not sure why, we can help you figure it out—and fix it.
Retention isn’t about perks. It’s about people.
Let’s make your company one worth staying for.
Reach out and let’s talk.