You didn’t see it coming. A promising employee just put in her two weeks’ notice. You’re surprised, then you remember the long lunch she took last week and the two personal days the week before that. Then the light bulb goes off – the signs were there.
A resignation often doesn’t come out of the blue, as we think. While an employee may make the choice to leave for any number of reasons, some beyond an employer’s control and some not, there are some key warning signs that might indicate a change is coming.
1) Behavior – Keep an eye on negative behavioral changes that differ from an employee’s typical habits. Is he or she continually disappearing for unexplained, extended amounts of time?
2) Increased Absence or Unusual Lateness – Curious changes in schedule may indicate an employee’s apathy towards work, and could also be a sign that he is attending other job interviews.
3) Loss of Drive – Is a formerly driven employee now silent during meetings? Showing a lack of interest or excitement about future projects could be a sign the employee is distancing himself from his work.
4) Attitude – Attitude is often an indication of satisfaction with a position. Has an employee developed a negative attitude towards company changes, policies or standards?
5) Disengagement – Is an employee suddenly keeping to herself? Be on the lookout for individuals who are disconnecting from others and have lost enthusiasm for their work.
6) Decreased Work Quality – If an employee’s quality of work is declining, it’s often an indication his focus and interest aren’t on the job. Paying attention to warning signs can help your business both prevent and prepare for workforce turnover. HSD Metrics services can provide another layer of insight on these challenging situations.
Understanding Why
The causes of employee turnover are revealed in well-designed exit interviews. HSD’s ExitRight Interviews can help answer the daunting question of “Why?” and reveal factors that may or may not be in your control.
Here’s how it works. Once an employee departs your organization, HSD Metrics will contact him for an interview. You decide on the notification to participate approach, the final interview content and select the interview method – web, phone or email – and HSD will take care of the rest. With the outsourced process, you are left with valuable data that can be used to make positive changes that affect the overall health of your business.
Reducing Employee Turnover
Learning from ExitRight data and recognizing warning signs can help combat employee turnover. Regular check-in meetings with employees give individuals a chance to voice concerns before it’s too late. An employee may perceive that leaving is the only option when alternatives may actually exist. Asking these four questions can reveal a lot:
– What’s working well for you in this job?
– What isn’t working?
– What do you need most from me as your manager?
– What would the ideal job look like for you?
HSD Metric’s SurveyRight Employee Engagement Surveys can also be a valuable insight into your company’s work culture. The surveys provide analytics to help you recognize themes, create action plans and, most importantly, understand what all of the data can mean for your organization.
Employee turnover can be costly in time, money and morale, but these tools can help you understand and develop best practices to address and reduce turnover.
If you are interested in learning more, contact us today.