When somebody leaves our employment, it is important to get it right. It is tempting to think that the ship has sailed and so it is just time to move on to another employee and forget about the person who is leaving/has left.
How we treat people who are leaving our employment says a good deal about the type of employer we are. Rather than just writing someone off because they are no longer a productive worker, then use the opportunity to learn about why people are leaving, what they feel about the organisation, how they will represent us in future. It is a huge public relations opportunity to get the right messages out to the world (and to our remaining employees and new recruits).
Why do people leave employers?
Of course there are loads of reasons why someone might stop working for us. Sometimes it is because of something they have done (or not done) – dismissal for conduct or performance. Or it might be because of their health (or even their death, sadly). It might be our need to cut costs (redundancy).
Often, though, it is because the employee is no longer getting what they need from working for us. Either there is no chance for them to progress their career further, or they have found a better opportunity somewhere else. Sometimes it is about pay (or other benefits); sometimes it is about not getting on with colleagues or a manager.
Whatever the reason, it is always worth trying to hear their perspective and to get their observations about working for us.
Do you do exit interviews when employees leave?
Exit interviews can sometimes seem pointless and time-consuming, with no real purpose. If that is the case, then you are not using them properly.
Firstly, you need to have an open mind and be prepared to listen to some (sometimes unpalateable) truths about your business. If you want to stop others leaving and to improve the culture of your business, then an exit interview when someone leaves is a great place to start. It can also help you to improve the likelihood of recruiting the right people in future.
You might think that you know why employees are leaving – but you might be surprised if you actually ask them. It is rarely only about improving pay. If you get your exit interview process right you can learn really useful information from leavers. This can help you improve your retention, your reputation and manage risk. It can even potentially help you with recruitment.
If you look at the data, you can see patterns emerging which can give useful pointers to areas where you need to improve. If leavers are allowed to speak freely, they can give useful feedback on areas where remaining employees might be reluctant to comment.
To really see the benefit of exit interviews, you need to combine the data with employee surveys. Looking at the whole picture in this way can be really illuminating for an employer.
If you want some help with either exit interviews or employee surveys, or both, then please contact me.
Should you make a counter offer when an employee resigns?
As it gets harder to recruit people, it is tempting to make a counter offer when someone hands in their notice. If you offer them a higher salary, you may be able to keep them in your employment and save the difficulty and cost of recruiting a replacement.
But is this an effective or fair thing to do?
Firstly, are you sure that the reason for the resignation is to find a higher salary? Often people move on for other reasons – you would do well to explore those reasons.
Secondly, your pay structure and policy should be fair and consistent to everyone and, controversially, it should even be transparent. If you “reward” someone for resigning, this may be seen as very unfair and may bring a rash of other resignations.
Thirdly, you are probably only delaying the inevitable. Even if someone accepts a pay rise to stay with you, it is likely they will keep looking and will be leaving you shortly in any event.
Keeping in Touch With Leavers
Have you thought about the advantages of keeping in touch with employees after they have left your employment? You may think this would be time wasted – why would you bother, especially if they left under difficult circumstances or it was an awkward parting?
This is where it pays if you have handled their exit fairly and with dignity and kindness. The parting may have been awkward (for example in a redundancy situation) but if you handled it well, they will still think you were a good employer. They may be open to working for you again and they might recommend you to people as a supplier or employer.
I recommend keeping in touch with all your ex-employees where practicable. This may only mean staying connected on social media or keeping them on a newsletter mailing list. It doesn’t have to be a continuing relationship – it can be keeping the lines of communication open.
If you treat people well when they work for you and they are happy in your employment, they will remember their employment and your company with warm feelings and be more inclined to say good things about you to other people. This can enhance your reputation, or at least prevent damage to your good name. In a tight labour market, this can be an invaluable tool.
How does your company come across on Social Media?
Social media is a fact of modern life and any employer ignores it at their peril. You want to avoid negative posts on social media from disgruntled employees. A large proportion of job-seekers look at sites like Glassdoor to find out about prospective employers and you do not want negative reports online about your company.
Your marketing department may be taking great pains to ensure that your profile to the world is a positive and engaging one. But this can easily be knocked down by a disgruntled (ex)employee or two.
The latest trend on TikTok is “Quit-Tok” where young workers are showing videos of themselves resigning, or are covertly filming themselves being made redundant or dismissed. They often call out what they see as unacceptable workplace behaviour and will name and shame businesses. Even older, more traditionally reserved workers are taking to platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook to complain about employers’ behaviour.
Social Media gives workers a platform to air grievances and complaints about employers and working practices. It could be very damaging to your company to find yourself the subject of this type of social media focus.
If you receive a grievance or complaint direct from an employee, then you would be wise to investigate and respond to it. If you handle it well, you might avoid further exposure on social media.
This article is just the tip of the iceberg in dealing with leavers and handling the process when someone resigns or is dismissed for some reason. If you want more advice, please contact us for a free, no obligation chat.
