Discover Their True Reasons
Many top employees don’t leave bad jobs so much as they leave bad managers. This is why some managers find it hard not to take resignations personally. Of course your best employee will usually never tell you that you are a bad manager so they don’t burn any bridges. You can find out the real reason by allowing the employee to talk freely about his reasons for leaving. From salary issues, personal issues, stress, or others, it might help you do something about it to prevent future incidents. Once you identify the real reason, accept the resignation gracefully and do some self-reflection.
Consider Offering a Counter-Offer
While it never hurts to try to retain your best people, this doesn’t mean that you use counter-offers as a retention technique, otherwise it will turn into a salary negotiation tool. You should be choosy about who to give counter-offers to and let some of them go without a battle. However, if the cost of him leaving is greater than replacing him, counter-offers can be your last shot at trying to retain your top employees. If money is the issue, propose a reasonable raise. If it’s about the job title, consider revising that, but if the resignation is all about change, accept it. You don’t want to go through the same dilemma again in a few months.
Make the Transition Smooth
Once the final decision is made, make sure that the rest of the employees know what is expected from them. Allocate enough time to hand over the departing employee’s work to his colleagues. Top employees usually take care of such matters before they leave. Decide whether you wish the employee to work out their full notice period or just leave right away. However, if you do the latter, be sure that you have an available substitute who can immediately handle the job.
Be Transparent
It’s highly essential that you keep the rest of your employees informed when it comes to employment changes. The more information you provide your employees with, the better for long term success. Keeping information concealed can result in gossip and rumors spreading throughout the company. Once the decision is made, start engaging in an open dialogue with your employees as soon as possible.
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