In yesterday’s blog post, we explored the costs of losing quality employees and 10 signs that employees may be ready to leave your company. According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, salary, feeling valued, advancement opportunities and work/life balance topped out the reasons why employees plan to switch jobs this year. Use this information to your advantage. Have a candid, non-threatening conversation with your employee to learn why they aren’t as happy as they used to be, and find a happy medium. You may consider these actions for the top four reasons listed above:
- Salary: If bumping an employee’s salary is not an option, think about how you can help him or her save money. For example, telecommuting one or two days a week or reimbursing the employee’s cell phone bill can both add up in savings for the employee.
- Feeling Valued: If an employee expresses that he or she doesn’t feel appreciated, first and foremost verbally let him or her know that they are. Then, ask for the employee’s feedback on how to ensure others in the organization can feel valued and act on his or her suggestions. Consider creating an employee appreciation committee and asking this employee to head it up.
- Advancement Opportunities: This doesn’t mean a change in job title just because. In fact, the CareerBuilder survey found that job title wasn’t so important to employees. This means having a career path structure in place, communicating it and following through with it. If an employee ready to resign is frustrated that he or she hasn’t advanced in several years, talk through what it will take and a potential timeframe.
- Work/Life Balance: It seems that everyone is working stressful hours these days. If your employee ready to resign expresses feeling stressed and that he or she is working too many hours, perhaps you could offer several more vacation days, summer hours or even a gift certificate for a massage.
