The Question Every Manager Should Ask When an Employee Quits
In my career, I’ve managed more teams than I can count. Whether directly or indirectly, tens of thousands of employees have come under my leadership. One of the hardest things to handle as a leader is employee turnover. Every manager dreads the conversation when an employee comes to submit their two weeks’ notice. Not only does this represent extra work for the leader (Now I have to take the time to hire a replacement and train them) but it can also be a disappointing blow to the leader and the team.
It’s easy to be frustrated or even angry with the departing employee, but to be a good leader, you need to take a moment to ask yourself an important question:
Did this employee fail me, or did I fail the employee?
Sometimes, neither party is at fault. Maybe the employee’s spouse was relocated. Perhaps they are quitting to stay home with their children. Or possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity came up and we should support them in that better opportunity. Employers and employees part ways all the time for reasons that have nothing to do with their working relationship. But sometimes, there’s more to evaluate. The truth is that most employees quit their leader, not the company or because of pay.
When an employee quits, the leader needs to take a long look at other possible reasons for the employee’s departure from the company and make sure those are corrected prior to just hiring someone else who will eventually leave for the same reason.
Here are a few questions to reflect on.
Did you explain clearly what was expected of them and how they could contribute to the success of the team?
Were their talents being adequately utilized?
Did you put them in a position to thrive and succeed?
Was their workload manageable?
Did they express concerns or complaints that went unaddressed?
Did they feel like they had a voice to express their ideas for improvement?
Did you celebrate their successes in a way that was meaningful to the employee so they truly felt appreciated?
Were they fairly compensated for their work?
Is losing an employee like this an anomaly, or does it happen fairly often?
As a servant leader, you should want to win, but you should want to win with your team - together. It’s your job to make sure each member of your team can succeed. So often, we hire someone and expect them to just figure it out. After all, that’s what we hired them to do, right? That’s what we had to do, right?
In reality, your team will thrive when you communicate your expectations, ensure they have the tools and training to succeed, clear the obstacles in their way to performing their best, and let them know you appreciate them.
Like a football team coach, be willing to move your “player” to new positions if it better fits their skill set or change “schemes” if what you’re doing isn’t working. Do your own “exit interview” with yourself to reflect on anything you could have done differently to help your employee succeed, thrive, and desire to remain part of your team.
Even if you determine you did everything right, it will be a beneficial exercise to ensure your new employee is stepping into a healthy and functional role. By looking at something disappointing as an opportunity for growth, you will help your team succeed.