As a business owner, there are constant challenges you need to face. While some you might anticipate, they still aren’t easy when they come around. One of the biggest ones is when a long-standing employee from your company decides to leave and go somewhere new. You can end up feeling a bit hurt and sidelined, as well as wondering what you’ll do without them. While it’s important to remember it’s likely nothing personal, it can be hard not to take it this way as you might wonder what their new company has that you don’t. Make sure you don’t make any personal feelings clean and instead that you handle their departure with care and consideration. In this article we take a look at some things you can do when a long-standing employee leaves your business to help you handle it in the best way possible.
What are some reasons a long-standing employee might leave your business?
When you find out a long-term employee is leaving your business, it can come as a bit of a shock. You might need some time to process it and think about what you’re going to do to deal with it best going forward. Whether you are going to replace them or rally the existing team to fill their boots is something that’s down to you or for you to evaluate. But before you do this, you should find out just why they are leaving. This means you can use this to your advantage and help stop a similar thing happening in the future, if the reason they’ve left is something you can rectify. Obviously, there are many reasons they might have gone and some such as retirement or geographical obstacles can’t be helped! Keep reading to find out some of the main reasons they might be departing.
They might be looking to go to a different field
If an employee has worked with you for a long time, chances are they’ve been doing the same field all of this time. This might mean things become a bit stale and they just want to look at working in a different field. If they’ve always worked in tech for example, they could want to go to something totally different such as retail and want a new challenge. It’s worth speaking to them and if they want to try something new, seeing if a new area within the business might appeal to them. For example, you could look at moving them from marketing to sales if they want to dabble in a new field. This might give them the chance they want to try something different without having to leave the company. It’s better for you than hiring someone totally new and enables you to keep an employee you know is hardworking and conscientious.
They might be retiring
Another reason the employee in question might be leaving, could be that they’ve worked as much as they can and are now of the age when they can retire. If this is the case, there’s not much you can do about it, except you could perhaps see if they fancy a part-time position with you should they not wish to leave work completely. It’s a good idea to still find out their thoughts of the company and if they have any tips or advice that you can use to continue growing your workforce and business as much as you can.
They might be after something your business can’t offer
While they might love working at your company, it could be they are going somewhere to find something yours doesn’t offer. Perhaps they are looking to work for a much bigger company and you’re a small business – or vice versa. It could be they want to be part of a team, or maybe they want a role that’s remote, but again, that’s not something they can find at your company. If this is the case, find out what it is they want and see if there is anything you can do to accommodate this. If not, think about if it’s something that other employees might want and if there’s something you can do going forward to help accommodate it for others in your business. This might help with employee retention and ensure you fulfil the needs of other staff members currently at your firm.
They might be moving to a different area
The geographical location of your employees is something you can’t have any say over and as such could be a reason they leave your firm. Perhaps they’re relocating due to budget, sizing up or down in their home, or just fancy living somewhere new and the commute will be too long. If you did want to keep them on, you could try offering a remote position, but this may not work depending on the business you’re in. If you work in security for example and do things such as redaction with confidential data or things that can only be done when in a secure environment, they won’t be able to work from home. But maybe there is another role you could offer them to compensate for this?
What do you do when you find out a long-standing employee is leaving?
If you’ve just found out that a long-term employee is leaving, the first thing you want to do is speak to them and find out why and make sure they’re alright. You then want to look into the practicalities that them leaving the role might present. There are many things you want to consider within this and we have outlined just a few of the steps you want to take down below.
Prepare for when they leave
Once your employee has told you they’re planning to go, you need to look into how to prepare for their departure. Find out how much notice they have to give and adjust the process accordingly. You’re going to need to sort out what will happen in their place, how their role will work going forward and start the hiring process for their replacement if this is something you’ll need. Decide if they’re going to go on gardening leave, so stop working for their notice period (this tends to be more common if they’re going off to work for a competitor) or if you’re going to move them to a more relaxed role in the business, or if they’ll continue doing their current position until the day they go.
Have an exit interview
An exit interview is a highly important part of leaving a business as this will show you some insights into their time with you. Ask them things such as why they are leaving, what they liked about working for you and some of the things they perhaps didn’t like. Encourage honest feedback so you can use this going forward. Tell them that what they say won’t go any further and it will help you to make the business better for those that work there already. Getting honest opinions is highly important for making sure if there are any mistakes being made that they don’t occur going forward. You could also ask for suggestions of things that can be amended going forward or that the company can implement based on their experience. Having been a long-standing employee they will be in a good position for this.
Address any concerns with remaining team members
Team members who are still at the business might have concerns regarding why their colleague is leaving and what will happen in their absence. Be sure to be open and honest and let them know what the plans are. This can help give peace of mind and ensure they feel comfortable going forward.
Communicate changes with your clients
Your employee leaving might have some important clients they work with and could have done for many years. Be sure to communicate with the clients as soon as possible and inform them what the change means and how it won’t impact their business with you. You want to make sure you’re reassuring and to the point. Let them know if there will be a replacement taking over and who will be looking after them in the meantime. Answer any questions they might have and ensure they feel happy and reassured.
These are just a few things you need to think about when a long-standing employee leaves your business. The reasons they leave can be complex and it’s never usually an easy decision for them to make, particularly when they have been with you for such a long time. Remember it’s going to be a hard transition for them to make too, so anything you can do to make it easier will ensure you keep a good relationship. After all, you don’t want to burn any bridges as you don’t know what opportunities might present themselves further down the line. What are some top tips you have for when a long-standing employee leaves your business? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.
