Employees leave for all manner of reasons; pay, working conditions, geography, a bad fit…the list is endless. Whether you are desperate to retain them or are giving yourself imaginary high-fives that you won’t have to fire them, there are three things you ought to say to any employee who informs you they are leaving for another job. Before you break out the groveling or the happy dance, start with these.
- Congratulations. You won’t regret taking the high road. Not the first thing that springs to mind? Take a breath first. You gain nothing by being a jerk or making it all about you, and you might find yourself in that same position one day. Build a reputation for putting others first. Others who still work for you will notice.
- Thank you. If the rest of that sentence is “…because I loathe your very existence,” or words to that effect, just stop at ‘Thank you.’ Employees, like customers, are volunteers. Most likely, you and your company benefitted from your erstwhile employee. If not, you will benefit from their absence. Either way, ‘thank you’ will suffice. Again: #highroad, #reputation, #nobodylikesajerk.
- What made you decide to leave? Never pass up a chance to learn from your, or others’, mistakes. You may discover something valuable about conditions that can or ought to be improved. Even if you decide to proceed with begging them to stay, you first need to know what, or who, you’re competing with.
As with all employee matters: Stick to the facts, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING, and send all documentation to HR for your permanent employee files. You don’t want to be caught relying on your memory of events if the DOL or the lawyers come calling.