A Counterintuitive Management Philosophy — Force Your Employees to Apply for Other Jobs

Colleen Jenkins
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read

I was sitting on a plane from New York to London, very much wanting to get some sleep, when a very nice gentleman sat down next to me. It became clear that he wanted to engage in a conversation, and so I decided that I would oblige, take 10–15 minutes to chat, and then get back to napping and preparing for the work that was ahead in England. And then we talked for 5 straight hours.

It ended up being not only an interesting conversation, but one that altered the way that I viewed employee management. At the time I had 25 people on my team, spread out in offices all across the globe, and hiring/training/growing talented individuals was a big part of my job description. If someone had an idea on attracting and retaining good people, I was all ears. Taking very little artistic licensing, here is what this gentleman had to say about what he found to be effective in growing his team.

Every year, make everyone on your team update their resume and apply to jobs outside of the company.

Well, that is not what I expected to hear. In fact, it sounded downright incorrect and a borderline fireable offense! However, the more he talked, the clearer it became that he was on to something. He explained that there are three general outcomes that come from a management philosophy like this, and all had very positive aspects.

Scenario #1 — The worst case, but still not bad

A member of your team applies to a job/company, has great conversations, they come back to you as their manager and explain what they have learned. A company has decided to offer them a job, doing something that they are truly excited about, at a level of compensation they deem fair. As the manager, you can not find a way to incorporate aspects of the offered job in to the current role and/or you are not able to meet the compensation requirements that the offering company has laid out, you say as much, and you urge them to take the new job at the different company. Why is this good?

It shows this individual that you care more about them and their growth as a person and professional than you do keeping them in a job/environment that won’t allow them to flourish and meet their potential. You will have an advocate and referral source for life. Any time that person speaks about working for your company, they will talk glowingly about how progressive the management philosophy is and will likely go out of their way to funnel good people to you, knowing that you will take care of them. It’s not a bad ‘worst option’.

Scenario #2 — The medium case, which is pretty great

The same scenario is setup as above — an updated resume, interviews, a job offer comes in. When the employee gives feedback on the new and exciting things that they have learned being out in the job market, you figure out a way to incorporate this into their current job and/or a new job in your company. So in essence, they have told you things that will excite them, you have listened to their feedback and found out a way to help them grow within your company. You have an employee who appreciates the open dialogue, the willingness to listen, and a new and exciting set up of responsibilities that they have helped shape. In short, you have a happy employee.

Scenario #3 — The best case scenario

The set up is the same as the first two scenarios, the difference is the outcome. After urging the employee to update their resume, go talk to employers, see what is out in the job market and what their skill set can fetch, they decide that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence, and they decide to stay. Going through this process helps the employee understand that the job, company, culture and compensation that they are currently in continues to be the right fit, and it further solidifies their ‘emotional buy-in’ to the company.

I remember thinking that this transcontinental traveler was onto something, even if it at first seemed that he might have been a bit nuts.

So when you are thinking about your team, wondering if they are happy, open up a new line of dialogue with them around this concept. Let them know that your main focus is on their personal and professional growth, that you want that above everything else, and that you are willing to put your money where your mouth is. I think you’ll be happily surprised at the response.

Written by Scott Jenkins, Principal at Detalus, a firm serving technology companies and financial institutions; and active Advisor at PluggedIN.

Colleen Jenkins

Written by

Founder/CEO of PluggedIN HQ. PluggedIn is an events-driven platform that empowers companies and candidates to connect in a direct and deliberate way.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade