Toxic work culture is the top reason why people quit their jobs, and it is a much more influential factor than pay, according to an analysis published in the MIT Sloan Management Review. Job insecurity and inadequate efforts to recognize employee performance are among the other reasons for resignations.

Research suggests that burnout and stress are key issues for employees who are planning to resign from their positions. Leaders can address these issues -- and encourage more staff members to stay -- by engaging in genuine conversation to learn how to ease their burdens.

Leaders can learn five important skills from sports, including the self-discipline to persevere and being able to effectively communicate to everyone on the team, Mike Powell writes. The other three skills Powell highlights are honesty, adaptability and preparing for every scenario.

The life, annuities and benefits space could be shaped by several factors going forward, including an increasing focus on digital health data, according to a report by Aite-Novarica Group. Many life insurers have taken a piecemeal approach to digitization in recent years and will have "to direct their efforts toward stabilizing infrastructure and processes," the report says.

Employees want their leaders to prioritize empathy, one-on-one time, communication and flexible schedules, according to a survey of 5,000-plus US and UK workers. "Employees work best when they are productive, and the highest-performing employees are those who feel supported by their company, especially when it comes to their mental and physical health," says Abakar Saidov, co-founder and CEO at Beamery, which conducted the survey.

A good friend confessed to me recently that she’s planning to resign at the end of the year. She’s an educator and works with students from low-income backgrounds who want to go to college.

“I can’t do it anymore. It’s just too toxic here.”

My heart sank. LD is one of the good ones. The great ones, actually. Dozens of her students went on to four-year universities after high school. Students who had no idea how to “do college” – choose a school, complete the application and financial aid processes, adjust to life away from home – are now thriving, thanks to her dogged efforts. She and her husband (also a teacher) even took in one student whose home life was a nightmare. Education will lose one of its stars when she leaves this year.

But what killed me was the word she used: toxic. “Toxic” is how she described the culture of her school. A lack of support from administration. Backbiting among staff. Student behavior going unchecked. It just became too much.

Organizations are hemorrhaging talent today and much of that exodus can be attributed to toxic cultures, as we see in today’s top story. People who would have tolerated a difficult work environment two years ago, will not do that now, especially as other organizations get aggressive with their recruiting tactics. Higher pay, less stress, more flexibility are just some of the reasons workers are leaving for greener pastures.

What are you doing to keep your culture in check? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.