How to Keep Employees from Quitting in the Short- and Long-Term
Lee la versión en español aquí.
An organization has feelings and so if someone quits, there are more implications than just having to fill the opening.
This is a very hard time for a company, during which the absence becomes tangible, and there is regret at not having been able to retain that person. The company feels an urgent need to explain to the team what has happened. It feels disappointed, as if a piece of it is being ripped away.
Every person is essential in a team because of their nature, their humanity, and not just because of the work they do. This is felt even more profoundly in startups such as Wolox, where each and every person working here is a special and key personality that forms part of the whole.
The position may be easy to fill, but the person is not easy to replace, and this is felt throughout the company.
Now, let’s put on the shoes of the person who is leaving. When you quit a job to start a new one, you have mixed feelings: the excitement and expectation for the new position and the big doubt about whether you have made the right decision.
We are not only leaving a job, we are saying goodbye to a part of ourselves. A phase is left behind and, along with it, our tireless and invisible day-to-day work. This leaves an imprint on the company that starts becoming increasingly noticeable within time. That imprint will remain there for a long time. We leave bonds, friendships and everyday relationships behind. We change our context.
At the end, we are certain we will keep all those bonds, and that we will rebuild others.
I wonder if bonds built through everyday contact are actually a huge benefit we lose when we move from one company to another.
Is the decision reversible?
We know that no one enjoys resigning and changing jobs. Therefore, the first question to ask when facing this situation is whether the decision can be reversed.
Depending on the answer, there are two ways to proceed. If the decision can be reversed, you need to analyze the situation and decide which is the best solution to resolve the issues that leaded the person to decide quitting. That way, the employee may agree to stay, working comfortably in a new job position and, probably, with a different team of people.
Changes should not be gradual, they must be substantial and immediate so the person notices them instantaneously.
If the decision is irreversible, it is recommended that both parties ask themselves what happened and why; going about the following thoughts:
How should this person leave the company?
A resignation should not take a company by surprise. If this happens, it is probably because both parties did something wrong. It makes no sense to arrive at a critical situation without having discussed it previously.
The lack of communication must be overcome because it may end up in a resignation. To achieve this, both parties must put forward their issues and discuss them so as to work together on potential changes to improve the company.
How much do you take with you and how much do you leave at the company?
The person resigning not only leaves an imprint at the company, but the company also leaves an imprint on them.
The positive impact of the employee’s work should be highlighted, and it should be acknowledged that their time working at the startup was not in vain.
At the same time, the person resigning takes a lot of knowledge with them. In a startup, such as Wolox, that is growing continuously and is subject to constant “trial and error”, people have the opportunity to learn by taking risks, thus enriching their working experience. That is something they will carry forever.
Give and take
If someone decides to leave a company, it is best to prepare oneself and the environment for the change: a handover period should be agreed to ensure that the departure can be accommodated within the team. The person also should, perhaps, train a new person or ensure their work is in a suitable state for someone else take over.
This gesture of gratitude offsets the sad news of the departure. At the same time, this is about having a give-and-take attitude: it is a way of giving back to the company in return for what you received from it.
A learning experience
A good company does not go through many resignations, and good employees do not quit many times in their careers. Therefore, through reflection it is possible to see the rights and wrongs on both sides. That is the only way a resignation can be turned into value.
Going beyond everything we said, it is obvious that we don’t want resignations to happen. Therefore, we should work together to improve communication, environment and the speed with which problems are solved. Also, we should make every day at work enjoyable both for ourselves and our colleagues.We should work towards building a utopia.
We should work towards building a company where everyone wants to stay. A company where everyone is happy.
Posted by Santiago Bermúdez Baglietto (santiago.baglietto@wolox.com.ar)
