Resignation Season Part II
That's right, it's a two parter! If you didn't catch Resignation Season Part I, I recommend you take a minute to skim through for some when and why context, but Part II is really the meat of this piece - what should we be doing about it? Immediately following a resignation, take a few deep breaths and define your desired outcome. To be clear, I'm not suggesting desired outcomes such as the retention of the employee or a sensitive exit strategy - selecting that path can wait. When it comes to resignation season, the goal should be big picture, something along the lines of leveraging the situation to add value to the business one way or another. Keep coming back to this. Here's how..
Set the egos aside. As an HR-adjacent professional I have witnessed an alarming level of ego when an employee resigns. My observation is that some managers, HR and leadership fear what voluntary turnover says about their effectiveness and in an effort of self-preservation the employee is either presented with an unwarranted counter offer that is ultimately bad for the organization, or, becomes vilified to discredit their feedback, which prevents positive change and contributes to more attrition. This. Has. To. Stop. There is a real opportunity to add value by wooing back a valued employee or to gain insight that can prevent additional turnover. The departing employee is usually feeling awkward and vulnerable, practically tightrope walking the line between annoyed/upset and nostalgic/grateful. Trust me, you want the latter and your attitude plays a crucial role on which side they'll fall.
Consider your attrition trends. Yes, turnover is expensive. The SHRM estimates the cost of replacing an employee at 50% - 60% of their salary, but before sticker shock prompts any rash decisions, consider your attrition rates - specifically voluntary attrition. Does your team and/or organization hover below average attrition rates in your industry? Is this departure an outlier or part of an emerging trend, and if so, are there systemic issues that require immediate acknowledgement? Acting quickly to assess and address can prevent a resignation from snowballing in to a mass exodus - talk about a value add.
There's a time and a place for counter offers. We've now reached the choose your own adventure portion of this post. Do you counter offer or accept the resignation? If the employee is an absolute superstar who handled their notice in a professional manner and their underlying issues for leaving can truly be resolved, then permission to counter granted! But, first admit to yourself that your retained superstar is still statistically likely to leave you within the year, because how often can those complex, underlying issues actually change overnight? Ask yourself and your organization if you're scrambling to save face or if you can earnestly commit to a solution and set realistic expectations that will satisfy the employee you hope to retain. Does the counter offer compromise leveling/org structure, compensation bands or company values? Will delivering this counter offer add long term value to the business or will it serve as a band-aid?
Accept the resignation with sincerity. Let's be honest, not every resignation is a tragedy. Whatever the case, there's always value in a symbiotic relationship during and beyond an exit, so it's a cause worth pursuing.
The following do's and don'ts are based on real-world experiences I have personally seen impact the attitude of a resigning employee, for better or worse.
Do set a sincere tone by expressing that you're sorry to see them leave but that you respect their decision
Do set expectations for the exit interview by giving them time to prepare and assuring them that they're feedback won't change the fact that they are leaving on good terms
Do emphasize that exit feedback can improve the collective employee experience
Do wish them well and offer to serve as a reference when appropriate
Do follow through and honor the exit process with integrity
Don't make it awkward by being suspiciously friendly or phony
Don't be overly excited for their next opportunity
Don't treat them coldly or as though they're not valued
Don't try to sneak extra work in under the wire
Don't say things you don't mean like how regretful you are to see them go if it's not the truth
Remember, this can be a time of disengagement or cooperation depending on the approach. Again, you want the latter.
Leverage the exit to benefit the business. In recent conversations with industry professionals, I've gathered that the exit interview has become an administrative box to check - an almost useless part of the exit process. I've interviewed numerous former employees who admit they weren't honest because employers couldn't give them a compelling reason to be. They were willing to sacrifice the integrity of the process to preserve their 'leaving on good terms' status, maintain relationships that they might need to leverage in the future and protect their legacy from being tarnished by the shifting attitudes that often follow the airing of a grievance. These fears aren't unfounded, we've all seen them play out, but the thing is, they shouldn't have to choose between transparency and trepidation.
We should strive for healthy closure at the end of any relationship, for positive feedback in talent networks, for glowing Glassdoor reviews from former employees, for future referrals and for usable insight to improve morale, culture and attrition. The commitment to redesign this system begins with the employer but it will take time to percolate through the culture. Let's start by having thoughtful discussions that put fears to rest and reveal a little bit about how the sausage is made - how they're protected, why their feedback is valuable and how they can impact the experience of the teammates they leave behind. Let's start by making good on those promises. If we're asking employees to participate in a program with potential value and impact, we need to take ownership and give it value and impact.
Move on. Nobody's perfect, so remember that when a valued employee moves on, you can too. Before opening the backfill and attempting to replicate this person, take a day to reimagine the team. What's changed since you last hired for this role? What will you adjust in the profile to align with evolving business needs? How will you hire for that?
What we should be doing about resignation season isn't preventing each individual departure, it's looking at the big picture and leveraging turnover as an opportunity to strengthen the organization wherever possible. You may think me idealistic by this point, but this isn't an attrition fairytale guys, I've seen it. Hell, I've lived it. Exits don't have to be the enemy if you're willing to do the heavy lifting.
