How Can I Successfully Retain a Senior Employee Who Resigned? Seeking Your Advice

Dear all,

I am in the process of retaining the senior professional who has submitted his resignation, and the management wants to retain him. I have some ideas and thoughts to deal with this situation and will write about it once the process is over. I hope to be successful in my endeavor. I would appreciate any tips or ideas from all of you, please.

Have a great day!

Regards,
Rajat

Hello Rajat,

It would have been good if you had discussed your strategy here, irrespective of whether it works or not.

However, the whole effort lies in identifying the core reasons that he is leaving your organization. The root cause analysis will help you in making suitable efforts to retain him.

Consider factors such as his age, family situation, economic factors, organizational structure, the demands of his role and position, office politics, the possibility of needing a sabbatical (it's better for a valuable staff member to take a couple of weeks away from work rather than losing him, but I don't know your company's policy on sabbaticals), or if he wants to pursue interests in a particular field, he could be allowed some time off without affecting work. For a senior staff member, a consultant role might be more suitable than involvement in day-to-day activities.

Without the complete background, it is difficult to suggest a specific tip. However, best of luck.

SAI_KIRAN

Hello Sai_Kiran,

First of all, I would like to thank you for your comments. I am glad to receive your response.

By the way, I have succeeded in my attempt. A lot went into this matter.

"It would have been good if you had discussed your strategy here irrespective of whether it works or not."

Yes, but the timeframe was so short that I came to know late in the evening (yesterday). I sent the mail to GM-ops that I am coming to the factory, and this morning on the train, we discussed the whole issue and strategized. Before meeting him, I wrote about this issue in this forum.

"However, the whole effort lies in identifying the core reasons that he is leaving your organization. The root cause analysis will help you in taking suitable efforts in retaining him."

Yes, that's true, but one needs to do more than that.

"His age, his family, economic factors, org structural factors, what does his role demand, what does his position demand, office/power politics, if he needs a sabbatical (it's better for a good staff to be away from work for a couple of weeks rather than losing him (but I don't know what is your company policy on sabbatical), or if he wants to pursue his interests in a particular field, then he could be allowed some time off for such reasons without affecting the work. He could be given a consultant kind of role if he is very senior rather than involving in day-to-day activities."

Yes, the above is true. I agree. Good points, I must say. Thanks.

My strategy:

First - as I received the news via email, I dropped everything, seriously thought it out, and shared my views with GM-Ops.

Immediately gave him a call (within 10 minutes) and told him the following:

1. We are surprised and shocked by his action.

2. Please don't share this with anyone in the plant at all (you know how strong grapevine is).

3. Would like to discuss this issue in person.

Prepared the backdrop of the matter, took him outside the factory. He was surprised that I came to meet him all the way. Changing the venue is very important, as it changes the dynamics of personal equations and roles we play in day-to-day life.

Had a personal heart-to-heart talk. It worked, keeping in mind the facts the Management has done for him in the past and also did my homework on the proposed offer he had from the company.

Also, remember to sensitize your line Managers that when they receive feelers about the changes or resignations from their reportees, they should discuss in detail and refrain them from putting their resignations in writing. Why? Because when one writes the same on paper, it is like cutting off from the organization mentally by 60%, which is a difficult situation to retrieve.

Regards,

Rajat

Hello Mr. Joshi,

Congratulations on preventing a separation. But you make it look so simple. I am certain it was tougher than what you present. As a case study, one would also be interested in knowing five (say) arguments justifying his separation and how you negotiated each in your favor. It is this process that will make a lot of us learn how to handle such situations.

I understand that this is not one odd transaction. It has a history of a relationship between the individual and the organization, mutual perceptions, reservations, misgivings, and points of respect for each other. This provides the context within which you had to conduct the interaction and WIN! It would be nice if you elaborate on the process within permissible limits and constraints. It must have been a very satisfying moment for you professionally and personally, and such moments are not too many in our work anyway!

Regards, Samvedan
August 9, 2006

Hello Rajat,

Sorry for the delay in writing back.

What you have mentioned is absolutely right. Once an employee puts it in writing, he/she is mentally cut off from the organization. It is totally decided at his end to leave, and it becomes difficult for both the organization and staff to retrieve from the situation. Whatever has to be done, has to be done before that.

The line managers need to be sensitized about its importance.

SAI_KIRAN

Hi Rajat,

I would really like to know the details of the conversation and negotiation. As Samvedan has mentioned in this mail, you have made it look much simpler than it was. So, I would really appreciate it if you could provide us with more details, obviously within the permissible limits.

I'm facing a similar situation, but this person has not submitted his resignation yet. However, I am aware that he will, and I want to take some action before it happens. Could you please advise me on how to prevent it?

Cheers,
Archna

Hey Archana,

Now that you're a little sure of his idea of putting the papers, act fast before he does that. You could do something like approaching the person he is reporting to for some groundwork. You may get some inputs from his reporting authority about his aspirations, reasons for looking around for an opportunity, difficulties in the existing position (if it is within the organization's capacity to solve), basically all the factors that could be considered as the grounds for his decision of leaving.

Keeping these inputs in mind, probably you could confront him informally, keeping his reporting authority informed about it. If one of the factors that you have already thought of turns out to be his basis for leaving, then it may be much easier for you to work out an option instantly for retaining him, losing no further time. Well, it's very simpler said than done, but I promise you that it works and it worked for us.

SAI KIRAN

Hi Friends,

Every HR professional is aware of this problem. Even when we draft policies to retain employees, we often find loopholes that allow them to leave the organization. Similarly, members of parliament enact laws to regulate the country, yet they also find loopholes when faced with trouble.

I would like to suggest one approach:

"We should try to develop alternatives for each and every employee in case of a vacancy when they wish to leave their job."

The basic idea is that by actively seeking replacements within the organization, the message will spread that leaving the organization is not as easy, instilling a sense of accountability among employees. This approach can also serve as a motivation factor for those who are potential substitutes.

Another suggestion is to set the resignation notice period to at least three months to deter employees from leaving hastily.

While offering higher salaries, promotions, or addressing employee concerns are effective solutions, these strategies are commonplace across organizations, making it possible for employees to find better offers elsewhere.

In the offer letter, consider adding more conditions to safeguard against rapid turnover.

However, the dynamics of demand and supply play a significant role. If the demand for employees is high and the supply is low, organizations may have limited options in hiring suitable replacements.

The fundamental idea is to maximize employee performance while they are with us. If an employee decides to leave, it should not significantly impact the company's productivity. Our policies should be designed with this goal in mind.

Further comments and suggestions are encouraged.

Regards,

Sidheshwar

Dear Friends,

My opinion is - Let the person go. Once the person submits the resignation paper, do not discuss immediately. Discuss with him after two to three days. Why he/she wants to leave. Let everybody know - you are important but not so much that the organization cannot run without you. If the person is so important, keep the doors of the organization open for re-employment. These steps can work to stop resignations. But for this, you must have a strong organizational culture - mission, vision, and values. I may be wrong. These are my views.

Thanks, Rajendra Gehlot

If the person is so important, keep the doors of the organization open for re-employment. These steps can work to stop resignations. I agree with Rajendra.

Regards, Sidheshwar

Hi Rajat,

Congratulations on your valuable contribution. It is very important to understand that people don't leave organizations; they leave managers.

Regards,
Rooma

Dear Sidheshwar,

Three important factors to consider are:

1) Suitability of the candidate for the position.
2) Organization's paying capacity.
3) Governmental norms.

Regards,

Sidheshwar

Hi All,

I am currently facing a similar situation working with a startup company. The individuals in my company possess very critical skill sets. Whenever I become aware that an employee is seeking job opportunities elsewhere, I engage in a conversation with them to understand the underlying reasons. If the issues pertain to workload, salary, or job title, they can typically be addressed. However, what I have discovered is that the desire for change stems from the fact that these employees have been part of our team for three years or more.

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to retain employees who are seeking a change.

Thanks and Regards,
Seema Gopal