Your Most Valuable Employee Just Quit, And That Could Be A Good Thing
There’s one thing as a leader that never gets easier: saying goodbye to a valuable team member. Employees leave for all kinds of reasons, but as a CEO, it’s easy to feel like you’ve failed somehow.
So how should you feel when they come back? The corporate world is dealing with a new phenomenon right now — boomerang employees. Four and a half million U.S. employees quit in November alone and people who made big decisions in that sweeping resignation wave have had time to reconsider. About one-quarter of workers who quit say they’re open to returning to their previous employer.
As the novelty of the Great Resignation wears off, many employees are asking: how do I go back? Meanwhile employers are wondering how to do things better this time around.
These are difficult questions, but the answers are out there.
As tempting as it is to be offended when someone quits, your employee has already grappled with pros and cons and in most cases, their decision isn’t a personal reflection on you.
Start with saying goodbye — the right way
In this new era of boomerang employees, it’s more important than ever for both sides to avoid burning bridges.
Not long ago we lost a talented member of our UX team. He started out very junior but quickly grew his skills. But there had been a shake-up in his department and the new bosses didn’t know what career growth previous management had promised him. Feeling disconnected from his managers planted a seed of doubt. When he got an attractive offer from another company, he took it.
But what happened after he made this decision is even more important. First, he left on good terms. He gave his two weeks’ notice, and most critically — to paraphrase Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg — he didn’t leave before he left. He was engaged, driven and committed up until his last day.
It’s not just on employees to leave the right way. As bosses, we mustn’t react with our egos when someone parts ways. As tempting as it is to be offended when someone quits, your employee has already grappled with pros and cons and in most cases, their decision isn’t a personal reflection on you.
Secondly, don’t let an employee leave without telling you the things they want to tell you. We do exit interviews with everyone who leaves our company. It’s a big part of how we understand our employees’ experience and reconcile it against our daily operations.
If there’s something you did wrong organizationally, then it’s on you to take feedback and try to fix it. In fact, data shows 32% of workers quit because of a lack of opportunities for career advancement. That’s an understandable ask, and for employers, an easy fix.
Most importantly, keep in mind that “goodbye” might just be “see you later.” In fact, approaching a resignation with the understanding that an employee could come back can change the whole process.
Make the most of the “boomerang halo”
After four months at his new job, our former UX worker realized the grass wasn’t so green in other pastures. The best part was he felt comfortable getting in touch with his department leaders about potentially coming back. When we got wind of the possibility of re-hiring him, we knew we needed to get his re-entry right. Indeed, his refreshed perspective could be a real benefit for us — if we made the most of it.
As an employee, there shouldn’t be shame or hard feelings in choosing to go back to a former employer. If there is, it’s a good sign that returning may not be the right move.
In tech, we’re used to this. People often leave only to later return. Through those experiences, we’ve learned that they bring some valuable insights with them. That’s why we do re-entry interviews too — but critically: it’s important to act fast.
The first few days a worker is back at their desk are the most fruitful in terms of implementing change. There’s a halo effect. They realize what wasn’t working before and have the clarity of mind to reimagine how their workflow could be better. As employers, it’s on us to let our boomerang employees know we care about their feedback. In fact, it’s that sense of being wanted that brings 16% of workers back to former bosses.
Returning employees are typically more satisfied and show greater commitment than external hires. Our boomerang UX worker came back with a refreshed sense of purpose, in part because he knew he could make a difference.
Right away, he had ideas about how we could improve our training processes because he’d had exposure to something new. He’d also had an opportunity to reflect on how we could do a better job of presenting our work to clients.
Just a few days back on the job and our boomerang employee was already able to see how his insight was making an impact. Our company wasn’t the only one to benefit, either. He was able to leverage his other opportunity for more seniority and a better salary. The research backs this up. Returning workers tend to out-perform new hires and are able to leverage that excellence for better compensation and work conditions for themselves.
As an employer, I think it’s a win-win. Frankly, our rehire now has a better understanding of what makes our workplace special and we certainly appreciate having workers who understand our business, our clients and our team.
There’s nothing more comforting for an organization than to know we can bring someone who can be immediately productive back into the fold, knowing they align with us culturally, and have so much context.
I’m the first to admit it sucks to have people leave. But instead of caving into insecurity and hurt feelings as a leader, I re-frame it. Take pride in the fact that their journey is continuing and you’ve been a positive part of their development. Rather than adopting a scarcity mindset, now is the time to double down on the optimism of honing your strategy so you can roll out the welcome mat for those who return.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear about your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. And for more ideas that challenge the status quo, follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter
(Content from this post was originally featured in Fast Company.)
