What Should You Do When a Key Employee Quits?

As a manager, dealing with an employee resignation often proves a hard blow. Although you might initially question the motives of the employee, this situation can also provide an opportunity to evaluate how your company operates and serves employees as well as its clients. Assess the reasons why employees quit to make necessary organizational changes and improve employee retention.

Assess the Reasons for a Resignation

Avoid taking an employee resignation at face value and investigate the reasons why you lost a valuable staff member. Inquire about any components of the job that prove overwhelming or processes that sometimes cause employee frustrations. Ask the resigning employee for honest feedback about the expectations of the company to uncover any processes or procedures that may negatively affect employee retention.

Attempt to Salvage the Situation

Evaluate whether or not you can salvage the situation. If an employee decides to quit because of a hostile situation in the office or a manager who can't effectively handle conflicts, put forth the effort to rectify the situation. Show the employee that you value his or her contributions and concerns by listening attentively and coming up with ideas that could provide alternate solutions. As a result, the situation could end with an employee who stays and continues to improve performance and productivity.

Develop a Transition Plan

A valuable employee rarely leaves the workflow in a disastrous state, but you should develop a plan to ensure productivity doesn't suffer during the interim. Outline tasks the employee needs to complete before the resignation goes into effect, and create a plan to delegate duties to other employees or transfer client contacts to new sales representatives until you can hire a replacement.

Maintain a Professional Demeanor

Avoid taking it personally when receiving an employee resignation. In certain cases, employees quit for reasons that have nothing to do with the company's operations or culture. In fact, millennial workers in particular often seek out new opportunities in different fields, causing them to leave your geographic area or industry for no other reason than to gain a variety of experiences. Treat the employee with respect to maintain a positive work environment to show you support the decision to pursue other opportunities your company can't provide. As a result, your support may prompt the staff member to positively promote your workplace and recruit qualified candidates to fill the position.

Although an employee resignation almost always proves an unwelcome situation, when handled in a supportive fashion, the event can also leave the exiting employee with memorable experiences that can help promote your company as an ideal place to work. Avoid expressing anger or resentment toward the soon-to-be former employee, and instead use this experience to improve the workplace environment and morale of your remaining workers.

Photo Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net