It’s inevitable. You build your company and pick out the best and brightest to join the team, but eventually, folks will leave. There’s no way to stop this entirely, but there are some ways to keep the number of people leaving low. It involves a good onboarding experience, a great workplace culture and making sure what employees are doing brings value not only to your company but also to their own lives. It all seems so simple until you realize there’s a lot to balance – so how do you keep a pulse on it all?
As a business owner, providing even the best workplaces doesn’t completely safeguard you from turnover. However, if you’re able to better predict when an employee is about to leave, you may be able to fix the problem and keep that team member with you – and in turn, keep others around too. Or, at the very least, you’ll be able to get quality feedback from the team member leaving and apply it to the future of your company. What one person voices, many others may feel as well, but are not comfortable bringing it up without being asked directly.
Here are a few signs to watch out for that may indicate an employee is looking to jump ship.
1. They’re skipping internal group meetings left and right
Do you have a colleague who used to attend every internal meeting, but now you’re noticing they’re skipping out every other day? This is a huge red flag.
When anyone feels disconnected to the mission or that they are no longer providing value, often times they will remove themselves from the situation. This can come in the form of skipping meetings and avoiding conversation with their peers.
One of the many things people think of when they leave is letting others down. If they’re able to distance themselves from the individuals, they will feel less guilty when they leave.
Another reason to skip out on meetings is because they’ve lost the passion at work that allows them to do a good job and to be conscious of what they’re doing.
2. They’re non-committal about future work and ideas
When employees don’t envision a future at your company, they don’t see themselves in future projects. They don’t see themselves in future meetings, or in group chats, or in ideas. With that, they begin to bow out before they have even put in a formal resignation. If you’re noticing a lack of commitment to future work, it’s definitely worth pulling the employee aside and seeing how they’re feeling, where you can provide support and how you can make their work experience a better one.
So now what? Of course, these signs to look for above can be an indicator of many things – perhaps the employee is burned out or they’re lacking a connection to the mission that the company is in pursuit of, but they aren’t ready to leave just yet. Or are they?
No matter the reason, all of these signs deem a one-on-one chat. During the conversation, you can ask questions such as, “What should we start or stop doing as a company?” or “What could you and your manager start or stop doing that would be more valuable and fulfilling to you and your team?”
People don’t quit just to quit – they quit an environment, a leader or a mission. By identifying individuals who may soon be walking out the door, you’ll be able to have conversations that pinpoint the issues within your organization that you may be blind to, and may be pushing other folks out without you even being aware of it.
Now that you’ve identified a few signs indicating possible employee turnover, it’s time to take immediate action. Remember, an unhappy employee offers a chance to improve not only their work experience but the entire culture of the company.
Don’t wait for a review or a structured time to talk to an employee about their happiness at your company. Happiness and turnover aren’t on a schedule, so addressing the issue immediately is key. When talking to the employee, your conversation will obviously be based on your relationship with her or him.
Talk directly to the employee about what you’ve noticed and why you’re concerned. Perhaps it could start off by you saying, “I’ve noticed that you haven’t been very committal with future projects and work lately. Your time and contribution with us has been great so far. I want to make sure we have your vision and help in the future to help drive the company forward. Is everything okay or can I help make something better here for you?”
That should provide an arena for open dialogue without directly accusing the employee of wanting to leave, which should never be done.
If you’re uncomfortable being that direct (which is highly encouraged, so you may want to reconsider), you can also ask more indirect questions to gather feedback.
A few, great questions to kick off the discussion include:
- Is there anything on your mind, good or bad, that you’d like to chat about?
- What do you think is going well at work, big or small?
- What’s your biggest roadblock at work right now?
- How is your workload right now?
- How do you think we are working as a team? Is there something you see that could be done to improve?
- How do you feel you are developing in your career? How can I best support
you in your growth?
Questions like these can also be used after you address the issue directly, as a way to get both yourself and the employee on the same page and moving forward together. By providing an open conversation between yourself and your team members, you’re allowing them to not only feel heard but provide you the perfect instruction as to how to build a better workplace.