With the economy as bad as it is in the United States and despite a rising unemployment rate, there are still plenty of people who feel their boss is so bad they have to leave their current job.
According to the SearchCIO-Midmarket.com salary survey (noting like bit of brevity, eh fellas), fully 30% of CIOs and IT managers left their previous jobs because they were dissatisfied with their managers - a far higher proportion than left because of a merger or downsizing.
This goes against many industry experts who argued that the current downturn meant people would stay with their current job however poor their boss.
According to an executive recruiter interviewed for the article, "regardless of the economic period, people still demand job satisfaction." She also added that they are unwilling to settle for anything below their own standard for that satisfaction.
And why should they?
So, if you think that the downturn in the economy has given you license, as a manager, to be as mean or un-complimentary as possible to your employees, you might want to think again. Your behavior toward your people has a much bigger influence on their willingness to stay than whatever level the dollar may be at.
Take the time to keep your people happy, even when things are tough, and you may benefit more than you realize.