We don’t all stay in the same jobs forever.
It might be that we want a change in career or a better salary, or we might want to get out of a job we hate, for any number of reasons. So, should you run a business, there will be times when you might have to deal with employee turnover. Considering the high cost of hiring and training new employees, as well as the loss of productivity for a while when you’re one person down, this can be problematic.
However, if you spot any of the following signs, you will be able to alleviate any problems. For starters, you might talk to your employee and do something to encourage them to stay, or you might get the ball rolling with the hiring process, so you aren’t short of staff any time soon.
The signs that one of your employees may be about to quit.
- You notice their internet activity. Walking past their computer and noticing the search term find jobs near me is an obvious red flag, but there are other signs. If you notice they have changed their business and social profiles on Facebook or LinkedIn, this might be because they are looking to impress potential new employers. And if they quickly turn their computer screen off when you’re walking nearby, they might well be up to something they shouldn’t be, but then again, they might also be emailing other employers or looking at job sites.
- They appear less committed. If you notice a regular drop in productivity, your employee might have personal problems that need to be addressed, or they might simply be bored with the job they have to do. If it’s the latter, this could trigger the desire to move elsewhere. And especially if your employee has stopped committing to long-term projects, and is less interested in career advancement within your business, then you might start to ask the question: Are they about to leave?
- They are absent a lot. Those sick days or extended vacations may be nothing for you to worry about. However, if your employee is absent for these or any other reasons on a regular basis, they might be on the hunt for a job. They may have fed you excuses so as to go to job fairs or job interviews, or they might be working on getting new qualifications to give them a job change. If your employee is unusually absent, have that conversation with them to determine the cause, be it a genuine illness or holiday, or be it for those other reasons we have mentioned.
- You’ve got a bad feeling. As this article explains, trusting your gut instinct isn’t as fanciful as it sounds. There is science to back up how you feel, so there may be times when you just know that your employee is about to quit. If you have a suspicion that all is not well with an employee, then you are probably right. It might be the way they react around you, with their facial expressions and body language. It might be a change in their behavior. Or you might not quite be able to put your finger on it, but for some reason, you just know something isn’t right. Your gut instinct might be that your employee is about to leave, so rather than dismissing your feelings, you should have that conversation with them to see if your suspicions are correct.
Finally
In some instances, you can’t stop an employee from leaving. If they have made up their mind, then so be it. However, you should still speak with them, ask for feedback on why they are making the decision, and then strive to keep them, or at the very least, make changes in your business so other employees don’t follow suit and jump ship.
Thanks for reading.
