Have you lost any good employee talent recently? Do you think the loss was necessary?  Was the defection for the purpose of a better opportunity, or because they “checked out” of your organization? 

 

Employees leave for a variety of reasons Of course, we can expect that regardless of the person, sooner or later they are likely to move on.  Let’s face it.  You and I have long-term career needs, too.  If they were perceived as impossible in your current situation, you would move on too, right?

 

Leaders can mitigate the losses incurred with employee defection if we address most of the needs (or perceived needs) that cause our employees to head for the door. The loss of one employee can be infectious; if there doesn’t seem to be a valid reason.

 

We all know that good employees tend to leave before the bad ones.  Logic follows that if you are not maintaining the valuable employees longer or are unable to infuse the company with more valuable resources over time, your resources will dry up, de-energizing the whole operation. 

 

Let’s focus on the experienced worker, who carries with them wisdom, historical knowledge of the organization, and staff who are more loyal to them than to the organization itself. Talented workers are the ones who remain in demand in this economy.  

 

Why do waves of turnover take us by surprise?  Because we weren’t paying attention.

 

 

Check in personally with your key experienced personnel on an intermittent basis. Take their satisfaction temperature. The fact is that once people have “checked out” it is difficult to bring them back into the fold. 

 

Do yourself a favor and catch disillusionment before it really incubates. Disenchanted or resentful employees (experienced or not) can take a long, slow path to leaving the company. This can be even worse than an “I’m outta here” mentality. The negative impact on group morale from this kind of excruciating exit process is hard to shake. 

 

Help your experienced workers want to stay. Ask them for their advice, including them in decision-making when possible, and offering them flexibility.  Engagement is key. Withdrawal is the enemy. As withdrawal calcifies, a return to positive, engaged involvement is difficult to regain. 

 

Reassess compensation for your experienced team members. Giving up a small amount of your budget here can pay off exponentially in a valuable resource retained. 

 

Do your experienced workers know everything? It may seem that way. They really don’t need any training, right? Wrong. Involve them in any new technology developments, changes or shifts in how you handle clients or product development.  Look at your own organization and consider whether you have taken your experienced staff or managers for granted, leaving them out of the newer, more exciting projects. 

 

The life of a middle manager can be harrowing. You may be given many problems, but not necessarily the direct authority over many of the players to easily carry out the solution. Follow this recipe for critical success in managing from the middle.

Cutting staff was difficult for you. As a department manager it is never easy to let people go, especially in a difficult job market. That difficulty was doubled when you were forced to make several cuts in a department that was already stretched close to its limits.

 

When you returned to the reality of your workspace after the cuts had been made, you realized that your employees were working harder but getting less done. You've been forced to get on the floor with them - only to fall further behind by the end of the day.

 

Not even overtime, in the amounts you were allowed, were getting you where you needed to be. There simply didn't seem to be any way to create the change you had been charged with, unless you could completely shut down your operation for a period of days. Possibly weeks. And in the current economic climate that is simply not an option.

 

You were told to try harder and to work smarter, and that the executive team would monitor your progress. It is clear that you have over-downsized. You request a meeting with your supervisor and key members of the executive team, who will listen to you, but are dealing with even larger problems.