Should HR Tell the Boss When Employees Plan to Leave? Seeking Your Thoughts

Dear friends,

Should HR personnel inform their boss about staff planning to leave the organization?

Looking forward to your feedback.

Nigha

Dear Mahesh,

Thank you for your feedback. In some cases, what happens is they have gone for interviews in other organizations but are not sure about their selection. What can we do to retain them?

nigha

Dear Nigha,

Networking and information gathering are critical and important responsibilities of HR. Obtaining people-related information, screening, discussing with the concerned individuals, and developing an action plan are all part of HR's responsibilities.

Regards,
Kameswarao

Dear Nigha,

If we know, then it is our duty to convey the message to the proper channel so we can take steps to retain him if he is a core employee of the organization. If you know that someone is finding a job, then it is your duty to find out what causes are forcing him to leave the organization and counsel him.

Regards,
Mahesh

Dear Vipin,

My suggestion is not to inform this to your boss unless the employee has confirmed that he/she is joining. You mentioned that if the candidate plans to leave, it may or may not happen. Unless you are certain, please avoid bluffing with the boss. At the same time, you can keep a backup of shortlisted candidates. If an employee is planning to leave, you can also motivate him/her and try your best to retain them.

In the case of retaining them, you can do many things such as mapping their performance, making them aware of their growth chances, and tuning them, etc.

Regards,
Nigha

Dear Nigha,

If the information is through word of mouth, then you are not supposed to inform it to your superior or boss, etc. If an employee has formally informed you, then you have to inform management. For further clarification, please check this site using the search tab provided, as there is a lot of information on the same topic. If you still have specific doubts, feel free to post them.

Thank you.

Dear friends,

Thank you all for the useful information. What if HR personnel got to know indirectly from another colleague that it is true he is looking for other alternatives?

Nigha

Dear Nigha,

Regarding your question about whether HR personnel should inform the boss if they have information about any staff planning to leave the organization.

My comment would be YES, as I feel that it is our responsibility to act in the best interest of the company. However, before we give out the information, we need to find out the reasons that have caused him to consider leaving the company. Remember that 'People join good companies and leave bad bosses!' or they will move on if they feel that there are no more opportunities for personal or career growth in the company.

Having knowledge of the reasons that have caused him to plan to leave, it is then our responsibility to work out a plan (which has to be aligned with the company's policy) to retain him if he is a valued employee and also create a succession plan if we know that we will not be able to retain him.

Simply structure all your information properly and inform the boss accordingly. This includes the reason for his planning to leave, feedback from superiors and peers on his general performance in terms of teamwork, productivity, etc., the pros and cons of losing the said employee, the proposed retention package, succession plan, etc.

If we handle this subject objectively, the boss will understand, and the position of the said employee will not be jeopardized.

Our goal is to achieve what is best for the company, and it is crucial that HR plays its role responsibly.

Best Regards,

Catherine

Nigha,

Being in HR, you must be careful. You should not be a part of rumor-spreading team. Make sure to look for input that is substantiated with authenticity. Even if you inform your boss, he/she believes in your feedback and is likely to consider it authentic. Unless your input is reliable/authentic, both you and your boss will be in a fix. Even if your update may be late reaching your boss, don't mind, just ensure it is accurate.

Suresh

What I feel is that we should try to find out why this colleague has the thought of leaving the company. If the resignation is not confirmed, I think it's possible to test his decision and to understand why he has this thought of leaving the company. It may be something personal or things related to his field of job scope or even the management style of his department or the company. Whatever it is, I do feel that the HR department exists to understand the situation and try to make it better so that we don't get a recurring case.

If the resignation has been confirmed, do get feedback from him and make use of the information as a reference to improve the company.

Of course, you should inform your boss even if the person is your close friend. Duty comes first in any case.

But before this, just confirm whether the news is true and it must not be a rumor. Take the person into confidence and try to find out why he/she wants to leave.

Hi All,

First of all, as HR professionals, we should strive to establish a strong rapport with all Heads of Departments (HODs) and employees. It is crucial that we are able to identify when an employee is feeling uncomfortable in their role. In such cases, we should proactively engage in discussions with both the employee and the HOD. There is no harm in sharing this information with the HOD, as not all information may be accurate, but it is essential to raise awareness.

While it may be challenging to gather such information, it is not impossible. HR personnel should always be prepared with potential successors and keep a close watch on individuals who may be considering leaving the organization.

There have been instances where we have addressed issues even when an employee was on the verge of attending an interview. This level of intervention is made possible through strong relationships and trust. Each employee is likely to have a few close friends at work, and often, they may share their intentions or even forward their resumes without our knowledge. By prioritizing our efforts, this task can be manageable.

Areas such as tea points, smoking zones, gathering spots, lunchrooms, libraries, parking areas, and company transport are all conducive locations for gathering relevant information.

Thanks and regards - kameswarao

Hi,

Definitely, you need information regarding that, if he has informed you formally. If he has not informed you formally, then that's your wish to convey the message to your boss. Suppose you had informed your boss regarding the departure of staff who has not informed you formally, then you will be in trouble if your boss asks the particular person and the person refuses the same. Be careful in this.

Thanks and regards,
A Suganthi

Hi,

The solution to this is you can introduce an Employee Band System, which will signify the probable attrition rate in the coming months. This will help you to be prepared with preventive steps to take.

Employee Band System:

Here you can categorize employees into Red, Green, and Yellow.

Red Employees are those with significant experience in your organization and may have better opportunities outside with higher pay. They may also be underpaid but skilled, and those who are not mentally stable. They often consider leaving if given the chance.

You can provide them with additional executive benefits, flexibility in work, or favorable work conditions. However, there is always a risk of them leaving.

Green band Employees are currently satisfied but might leave due to changes in strategies or anticipated future conditions. Regular counseling and ensuring their satisfaction can help retain them.

Yellow band employees are new joiners enthusiastic about growing within the organization. They are less likely to leave but should still be monitored.

To address your question, you can place employees attending interviews in the red band category and conduct sessions to understand their reasons and prevent attrition.

Implementing this Banding system can be helpful in predicting and managing attrition.

Suggestions/comments, please.

Dear Seniors,

Let me add one more thing. An employee is planning to leave the company, and the boss, without knowing this, is planning to terminate the same employee. These two things are known by the HR. How can an HR personnel act in this particular situation?

The employee has not confirmed his new job. The boss has also not given any confirmation to terminate the same employee but has a plan to do so. Please advise on how to proceed further.

Regards,
Soja

To all,

Yes, HR is the ear of the management. We need to make sure our input is correct and then pass it on to Management. If it is related to key personnel, we should prepare alternatives before presenting to management. This is MIS - we need to do MIS not only in reports.

This is a tricky issue. Nowadays, even employees working for good employers and who are apparently satisfied keep applying and attending interviews. Not necessarily, they will leave the job. I feel before you inform your boss, you should be sure that the employee is leaving for sure. You need to have a good rapport and proper communication with the boss to communicate such things. You also need to know your boss well for this. As rightly pointed out by someone, you should not be instrumental in spreading rumors. I came across a case where there was a very strong rumor about a senior manager leaving the company, and this information was fed all the way to the top management as well, but nothing happened for six months, and the poor fellow lost his reputation and increment also.

Thanks & Regards