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New York, NY—Do you routinely check your email in the middle of the night or on vacation? And do you expect your employees to also check in when they’re on vacation?

If so, you stand a higher chance of losing people you don’t want to lose.

Findings from a recent human-resources study reconfirmed the top three things most important to employees in their jobs: career advancement, money, and work-life balance. But while employees may complain about money, they’re more likely to quit over time than money, says an article in Business News Daily.

Younger employees (18-29) are the ones most likely to complain about compensation, with those complaints declining as workers age. Overall, lack of career advancement still ranks number-one as the reason for leaving a job, but a major deal-breaker—especially among women—was lack of respect for personal time.

Flexibility is the upside of technology: you can answer emails or finish a project while, say, waiting at the dentist’s office, rather than take that time off as vacation or sick. But employers also can be less respectful of personal time when you’re tethered by smart phone. Bosses who expect employees to answer emails or do work while on vacation or sick are much more likely to lose good people than those who respect the employee’s time off to relax, recuperate, or attend to family responsibilities.

Some workers thrive on being busy 24/7, and wear indispensability like a badge of honor. Others are firm about not taking work calls or emails during time off. The best way to avoid a problem is for both employee and manager to be clear about expectations upfront.

Top image: creativityland.ca