The war on talent continues to escalate. Companies are starting to thaw their budgets and have increased their sales and marketing spend. It won’t be too much longer before their job requisitions spend increases too. Right now companies all across the globe are submitting their 2015 budgets and growth plans that may include recruiting members of your team.
Is your team headed for a mass exodus? Are your employees giving you the unwritten signs they are looking to abandon ship? Or, perhaps many have already started the process but you haven’t connected the dots. Can you really afford to lose any more tribal knowledge?
You can’t build your team if you are continuously having to replace members who are leaving. Here are some signs you are about to lose an employee and what to do about it.
A deviation of routine
People love their routines so much so that you can almost set your clock by them. If they start taking off-site lunches, coming in late or leaving early they could be out looking. If they start showing up in dressier attire they’ve probably come from an interview. Offer to take them to lunch or breakfast and have a general discussion about their ambitions within the company. Try to uncover their current state of happiness and what you can do to improve it.
Spreading seeds
People will unconsciously drop hints that they are leaving. Stop and think about the seeds they are planting. Are they asking for more challenges, feeling underappreciated or that their skill is in high demand? Maybe they are talking about the job market or how they are overwhelmed with work. Whatever the seeds are don’t let them take root without acknowledging them. Offer them new or more challenging assignments, show appreciation with rewards or recognition or shift some of their work load to others.
Home-life problems
If an employee is starting to talk about unrest at home they may be thinking of taking a job with fewer demands so they can work on repairing those problems. Don’t interfere but do offer support such as a flexible schedule or adding work from home time. The last thing you want an employee to feel is resentment for their job.
A drop in productivity
When a high-performer suddenly shows a drop in productivity it is a sign of disengagement. Once an employee disengages it won’t be too long before they decide to jump ship. Have frequent conversations about their past and current contributions to show the contrast. Be bold and ask them what is going on and how you can help. Don’t be afraid to tell them you want to do whatever it takes to keep them or how much you need them on your team.
Having a well-compensated, challenged and fulfilled workforce reduces the risk of turn over. Take periodic health checks of the morale of your team. The earlier you can catch the deficiencies the higher your chances of taking corrective action and preventing an unnecessary mass exodus.
Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 06:11 am
