I can recall an instance where a friend of mine remained at a job due to the consideration, encouragement, and understanding from her manager (boss). She was offered a job at a different company with slightly better benefits and a pay increase, yet she opted to remain at her job she already had. Initially this confused me, but after hearing the explanation, the logic behind her decision became much more clear.

She explained what an excellent environment her office was to work in, and how the communication channels were continually open with her mangers. Her job was challenging yet posed realistic goals for her to meet and even succeed in which she really loved. Her managers would occasionally incentivize her with a bonus or a pay raise, yet the continued effort her manager made to stay connected, help, support and understand if something happened was irreplaceable. The job opportunity was significant and could have been beneficial, yet the work environment she already had was too rare and unique to leave.

I think this speaks quite a bit to the lack of work environments that exist, such as the one my friend has. While compensation and incentives can be excellent ways to motivate individuals or teams within an organization, it truly is the day to day actions and remaining consistent that can give a company/organization that edge over their competitors. I think this needs to be re emphasized to those who are struggling with increased turnover or perhaps poor morale; looking at the day to day operations of the company, and trying to understand how those could be reconstructed or enhanced could be the missing element.