Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
It is hanging in the air. Someone just quit.
Leaving is always bittersweet. A quitter feels relieved, free, and even ecstatic. His team? Annoyed, upset, and perhaps stressed.
You spent months training and developing your coworkers. For what? They will leave anyway.
Many leaders find it difficult to fire someone. But saying goodbye to someone you liked working with is also challenging.
Life goes on, right? Yet, when one leaves, others shift into consideration mode. Be ready to react and handle the situation openly. Otherwise, the next one will follow.
Quitting phenomenon
“You quit. I quit. We all quit.”
When one plants a quitting idea in your team, it might be hard to cut its sprouts. You don’t want it to spread around. But still, people whisper.
“Why did she/he leave?” “Someone finally made a statement.” “Who do you think will be the next one?” “I don’t know if this job is good enough for me.” “I should probably quit too.”
Your team starts to tremble and anxiety fills the office air.
Quitting initiates doubts.
You taste doubts in your coffee. Doubts about the company's culture and direction.
“Does the leadership team care about us?” Why did they let this talent leave?”
Quitting is a phenomenon. A single resignation can trigger a whole cascade of resignations if it is not handled properly. Quiet quitting is a trend in 2022. Leaders, you’d better watch out!
Quitting is a statement
We all work in the ‘after Covid’ world. People are now focused on ensuring that they have a work-life balance, and purpose-driven jobs.
So, when one of you quits, it is time to reflect and ask these questions:
What are your working hours and expectations? Is overtime standard?
Are your salaries fair and at (or above) the market level?
What growth opportunities do you have?
What support do you give your staff?
Is your environment trustworthy?
Does your leadership team have adequate training and skills for the job?
When someone decides to quit, you might not be able to change his mind. Still, you can understand his motives and collect inputs for improvement. There is nothing to lose. Relationships do not end the moment you quit.
Make the most of the situation. Keep it respectful regardless of how much you dread the idea of your coworker leaving.
Accept this statement but understand why.
Be open to others
Leavers like to poison the rest of your team. They implant or enhance negativity.
“The manager is shi*.” “The salary is not good.” “I didn’t feel appreciated.” “It is not going anywhere with this company.” “I am just sick of it.”
Quitting is unpleasant. But silence is too.
Do not ignore the reasons for quitting. Consider them. Find out if someone else feels the same way. You might be able to improve a thing or two before another person storms into your office with resignation in his hands.
It feels weird to talk openly about why people quit. But if you don’t, you let the rumors spread. Rumors trigger second thoughts and undermine a positive atmosphere. Consider disclosing what happened:
“XX decided to explore different directions in this field.”
“XX felt there was no opportunity for growth.”
“XX did not feel rewarded fairly.”
“XX was offered a better job.”
Discuss it sensitively with each of your team members. Calm the situation down. Others are probably stressed as they need to take over the agenda before you hire a replacement. No one likes the idea of long hours.
Support them and find a solution as soon as possible.
Make an action plan
When recovering from the initial shock, you can’t afford to sit still. You need a plan.
So, map out what’s on. What duties, projects, and contacts does your leaver have? Make a list. Determine what the leaver manages before the end of the notice period. You get a sense of the future and the capacity required to take over.
Can your team cover it?
Yes - dissolve tasks around.
No - start the hiring process asap.
Check out who else works with him. It will make the transition easier.
At this moment, time is running out. Act promptly. When you manage to hire someone quickly, your leaver can do handover and training. Sadly, this is rarely the case.
I worked in teams in which we were looking for a new colleague for months. I don’t have to tell you how burned out everyone was.
Always be one step ahead and plan.
It's time to move on
Quitting belongs to a career circle. The reasons could vary for different people.
Make sure, however, that no general problem is affecting everyone. If so, it is just a matter of time before the quitting bomb explodes.
Talk to your team regularly. Listen to them. Be present to know what they complain about and why.
You can’t stop them from leaving. But do not give them unnecessary triggers (e.g., unfair treatment, lack of respect, low salaries, no training opportunities, long working hours, etc.).
Last but not least, do a proper handover. Grab this free checklist to keep everything important in order. Your team will thank you later.
See you next week! Ivona
Great advice, Ivona - a leader needs to address these issues rather than bury their head in the sand.
Another tool could be to augment team member 1-2-1's and have an open discussion about any issues or concerns that they have, dealing with issues as they arise, rather than when it's too late at an exit interview.