An employee resigns, should you try to keep them? Logic says trying to keep them is easier than finding a replacement, plus all the management geru stuff you read says retention is good. I am often asked this question and my usual advice is be like Elsa and ‘Let them go’, You should always have a conversation with the person to find out their reasons and have a formal exit interview but sometimes it is too late to put things right and you need to take responsibility for that. Although retention is good, having no turnover is unhealthy, someone leaving provides an opportunity for change, finding a replacement with new skills or a chance to offer the position internally and let someone in the team take on new challenges. I cannot remember a time when a counter offer has provided a good long-term solution, your employee says the job is similar but they will have better benefits and £3k more, so it is tempting to say “stay, we can match that” because that’s cheaper than hiring. By all means use that to benchmark your salaries to see whether they are competitive but think long and hard as to whether it’s the right solution. My stock reply when candidates tell me they have been counter offered by their current employer is “you must be disappointed that it has come too late, shame you had to resign to make them show you they value you” . Lots of bosses tend to take resignations personally, increasingly people are looking to move on every 3 years or so and although this trend is slower in the SME category it is likely to find its way here soon. So be thankful for the work they have done and craft a simple email to send out to everyone saying “we are sorry J is leaving , want to thank them for great work, wish them well, they will be missed etc”. Certain leavers may pose a threat to your business by leaving to work for the competition, make sure your garden leave and non compete policies are clear and are implemented in a professional and courteous way. People leave their jobs for lots of reasons and a resignation should rarely be a surprise, whirlwind romances and lottery wins are the exception ! Regular one to ones, review meetings and a genuine interest in your team will help to minimise the surprises.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHR Consultant sharing information and experience across a range of people issues Archives
October 2020
Categories |