Afraid of Losing Good People?

Years ago, I was working for a small media agency in downtown Toronto where I was responsible for all e-learning development for our clients that including Honda and Chrysler. After a number of years, I found a better job and I handed in my letter of resignation to my Director with 2 weeks' notice. After reluctantly accepting my letter, he looked me straight in the eyes and said:

Don't mention you leaving to our clients. We will handle it after after you're gone.

I was struck at the time with a simple question: why the secrecy? People leave companies all the time, but it never occurred to me that my departure should be kept secret. Was my director afraid the client would leave if I left? My company's relationship with my clients long predated me so I couldn't believe I could single-handedly sink it. Nevertheless, as a 'team player,' I did what was asked.

I didn't give it much thought until over a decade later when I noticed a similar trend in companies I had previously worked with. When an employee left, the company remained quiet...no mention of the employee's departure was ever made. In one particular case, the director kept the departure completely quiet; no email, posting, or other mention was made. If you tried to find the employee after they've left it would feel like they simply vanished. This was a phenomenon that made me wonder: why are some employers afraid to acknowledge that an employee is leaving?

It struck me that this may have arisen because of the top two reasons why employees leave their employer: money and manager.

We should be honest with ourselves: money is why we work for others. If you're not doing it for money, you're probably volunteering. Employees are frequently looking for a way to make more money but eventually, they will hit the ceiling of how much an employer will pay them. However, in this economy, it is very likely that there is another employer who will pay them more; skilled employees with experience are a hot commodity.

Employees also leave because of their manager. Not all managers know how to manage and some have good intentions but don't know how to manage a team. Years ago, another manager I know brought his whole team together and said:

Its been a tough year everyone. There will be no raises. If you don't like it, you can always hit the street and find another job.

Do you think those employees were still working there within the same year? No, they all started looking for and eventually found new jobs.

So some managers are afraid that if other employees know that someone is leaving and then ask that person why they are leaving...they may discover that they could make more money at other companies and possibly have better leadership. So they hide the leaving employee's departure from others until they are gone. They are afraid that others will follow. They don't want to pay more or change their management style; instead, they want to preserve the status quo and hope that others don't follow.

They want to control the flow of information as much as possible.

Now let's consider if they were not afraid of sharing.

The employee's departure will be announced a week or two out. Instead of secrecy, a celebration occurs where the employee's contributions are celebrated. Other employees see this and feel that their employer is a confidant of their ability to attract and keep solid workers and is proud of how they have contributed to the career of the departing employee.

Great companies know that they represent a stage in the career of each employee that works for them. Some will stay for a long time, others will stay for less, but for a few exceptions, they won't remain there for their entire working lives. A company that recognizes this will see more confidence and sure in themselves. This is a good management practice and will result in fewer employees leaving because of their manager or company management overall.

I was at that flagship Apple Store in downtown Manhattan a few years ago. When I got to the floor there was an explosion of festive sounds. Confetti was being tossed, streamers too, and all the Apple employees were clapping. One employee, in particular, was getting high fives and back slaps from everyone. I asked one what was going on. She said:

Its our colleagues last day with the store and he just ended his shift. We wanted to do something nice for them.

Now that's a departure that would make a positive impression. Which kind of employee departure do you prefer?