Building a team of top talent takes work. Because the hiring process can be time-consuming and expensive, hiring managers are wise to choose candidates who not only possess great skills and experience, but who are likely to stick with the organization in the long term.
Unfortunately, workers aren’t always predictable; as a result, every manager will eventually face the resignation of a top employee. When an employee announces his or her resignation, how can the organization encourage the person to stay? Consider the following tips:
- Find out why the employee is leaving. An effective offer to stay must address the reasons the employee is leaving – so begin the process by gathering as much information as you can. Strong outside pressures like family obligations may win out over any offer to stay, but if the employee hasn’t fully decided to leave or is concerned about an issue management can address, the company may be able to build an offer the employee will accept.
- Be willing to counter other offers. Top employees are always in demand, even when they’re fully engaged with a current employer. If an employee is considering a resignation with your organization because he or she has a better offer from a competitor, ask the employee to give you 24 hours to make a counter-offer. You may be able to build a compensation package that keeps your top workers with your firm.
- Treat compensation creatively. Not only is a higher salary not the only option for increasing compensation, it may not be what the resigning employee wants. Treat compensation offers creatively, based on the employee’s desires and reasons for leaving: flex time, more assistance on projects, or other forms of compensation may encourage an employee to stay even if the company can’t offer a higher salary.
- Don’t make promises you can’t deliver. Surprise is a natural response to a sudden resignation announcement. Don’t give in to the shock by making promises to the employee, however, unless you know you can keep them. Instead, ask the employee to give the company some time to respond – and then promptly address the employee’s reasons for leaving, if possible.
At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our skilled recruiters can help you find and keep top talent. Contact us today to learn more!
