Why I Stayed

Why I stayed at an organization that underpaid me and didn’t offer healthcare benefits for 12 years...

I worked for a faith-based nonprofit for 12 years. When I left, I instantly increased my pay by 33%, received retirement and medical benefits (I had never had those before!), and had a fully remote work arrangement.

With the average millennial job-hopping every 2.75 years, it might be surprising to hear that I was happy to stay at the same place for 12 years, especially when I share that I am not independently wealthy or partnered with someone who is (I actually married a great public school teacher). Oh, and I live in one of the most expensive cities in the United States. But I didn't leave because of money or benefits. I only left because of diverging personal and organizational values from the corporate office.

So why did I stay at the same place for so long? 

Two reasons: 

1. I had great bosses.  I could trust their decisions, they gave me great flexibility, and I didn’t feel insecure in my role.

2. My company invested in my leadership.

From the moment I joined the organization, I was sent to national and local training.  I was given the opportunity to lead projects and manage a community-based program. And when I was promoted to a senior leadership position, I was put through not one, but two, national leadership programs.

At each step in my career, I was given the chance to learn how to be a better leader.  These trainings and the dollars invested in me were a massive vote of confidence and meant more to me - clearly - than other expensive perks.

While I wouldn’t advocate that any organization choose a $7000 leadership course over healthcare, I do want to posit that investing in your team—even with an annual retreat or conference—will pay dividends among your team and benefit you in return.

I brought my training back to my team immediately through monthly training over the course of 8 years. This meant my boss only had to pay for outside training once or twice a year, particularly for things like CPR certification.

And my institutional knowledge meant no one had to be retrained every 2-3 years to replace the brain drain after I moved on. With SHRM research suggesting up to 200% financial losses to a company who loses a major leader, keeping your people is more important than ever.

Take a close look at your budget and ask what kind of difference it would make to invest $500 per employee per year (and yes, the researched gold standard is $1500, but something is better than nothing). 

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