We all dread losing our employees, especially those we regard as the “champions”. It not only affects your business, but it can affect you mentally and even cost you money. This is why it is so crucial for employers to recognise the warning signs of an employee who will quit.
When the going gets tough – the tough get going. If your employees don’t feel appreciated, then they’ll head for the door. Whether you like it or not, one of the essential things in business is keeping your workforce motivated, healthy and happy. Of course, it is not always possible to keep every employee happy all the time. But knowing the signs that an employee is going to quit, and having the skills to dissuade them from doing so, will save your company time and money while building a better business relationship.
Here are some signs that your valued employee is about to call to jump ship –
Their productivity level is sinking – They aren’t just excited anymore, you miss their previous enthusiasm, and it’s evident that they are just taking one step back every day. You don’t hear any more innovative ideas and are even less active during meetings; at this point, they’re mentally checking out.
They are selling less of your brand and more of themselves – It’s not odd, but when you see your employee talking less about your brand and more about their achievements and skills, then it’s a red flag. This might happen on social networking sites like LinkedIn; they might never make a direct post, but they are more open to pushing their brand in hopes of attracting new opportunities.
They are taking more off days than usual – Many factors could be at play here, but something fishy could be happening if you do your math right. It’s no news that employees take fake sick days just to attend other interviews and such. When the off days are becoming too frequent, then you have to keep your eyes peeled. Even regular late coming could be a sign; they could try their best to attend interviews before coming to work.
Negative change in attitude – Once an employee disconnects from their role in a company, their attitude will change towards the company, other employees and the job role. They tend to become less receptive to instructions and aren’t excited to take in new projects.
Keeps delegating assignments to others – A big red flag is also constant delegation. They just don’t want any parts, so they keep delegating their work to colleagues and have suddenly developed a “not my problem” attitude. This is a sure sign that they are about to jump ship.
Other signs –
- Complains about every little thing
- Has stopped returning phone calls and emails
- Work friends are also jumping ship
- They Begin to Work Half-heartedly
- They just aren’t putting as much effort into their role as before
Tips on dissuading an employee from quitting –
We had a quick chat with a Recruitment Operations expert at Jobberman Nigeria – Bolanle Oseni to share some insights into how employers can improve employee engagement and retention.
Q – What steps can employers take to improve employee retention?
No employee wants to work in a toxic environment, so my advice is; create a healthy working environment. This will make employees feel comfortable in their workspace – transparent communication will also help. You can do the following –
- Give praise, recognition and even promotions when deserved (Growth)
- Salary increase considerations (Remuneration/rewards)
- Employees’ Welfare – Show you care
- Invest in their futures – Enrol your employees on learning opportunities such as the Jobberman free soft skills training. You can visit www.jobberman.com/softskills to learn more. You can even consider having in-house learning sessions to cut costs, provide them value.
- Create transparency between employer and Employees (Communication)
Be open to allowing employees to switch between roles when necessary (Career advancement)
Q- How can an employer dissuade an employee from quitting?
Speaking from experience, I’ll share five simple tips –
- Don’t hold back from asking, “Why?” – This will better help you understand what motivates an employee to stay and why they might want to leave.
- Consider a promotion or increase – This might sound like a bribe, but why not put out a counteroffer for your star employee? Ask them why they might be leaving and find out if a promotion or salary increase can help them make a better decision.
- Ask for input – As an employer, you aren’t God; you don’t know it all, but asking for information will go a long way to helping improve your employee retention. Asking the “lost sheep” what you can do better shows that you are open to improving and keeping the relationship.
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