Why People Stay

Why People Stay is the result of a doctoral study that revealed participants’ sense of commitment (to the organization, to the team, to the mission, or to something else). This was in spite of numerous experiences of antisocial workplace behavior, or AWB, reported by each participant. The incidents reported included perceptions of disrespect and subtle discourtesy, appropriation of credit for work not performed, deliberate poor work performance, racial harassment, abusive language, abusive supervision, bullying and threats of violence, to other demeaning behaviors. Over 70 unique instances were reported, in all, by just 11 participants over the course of some 30 hours of interviews. Yet they all stayed in their workplace. Why? And what does this choice suggest about employee engagement, in toxic workplaces or work groups?

This book explores these questions, and more, and sounds an alarm to executives and culture monitors that the root cause of your human capital losses is that your people do not feel seen, safe, and valued and you can change that. It looks at organizational commitment and organizational engagement in an environment where it can be difficult to remain authentically committed in the presence of AWB. The participants in this study were queried as to just why they stayed under such conditions. The aim of this book is to share their surprising results.

This positive book about negative experiences is essential reading for executives, HR and organizational development professionals, as well as students at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels.