Portable Sanitation Association International

ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION JULY 7, 2021 Page 2 What to Do When You Lose Your Best Employee…continued from page 1 Continued on page 4 So what can you do to make sure things aren't any more stressful than they have to be? Here are some ideas adapted for our industry from an article published by Gallup in February 2019. Paying Attention to the Exit Experience Pays Off In those instances when an employee gives notice, it's natural to turn immediately to thinking about how to fill the hole they'll be leaving on the team. Of course you need to do that. But put some energy into making sure they have a positive exit experience as well. It will pay off in numerous ways. Gallup says, "Employees who have a positive exit experience are 2.9 times more likely to recommend their organization to others than are those who have a negative experience." Good, high quality employees are more likely to know and hang around with other people who would make good employees. If your best employee leaves with a good feeling, he or she might be able to help you find workers down the road. At a minimum, if they have a good feeling they won't be hurting your hiring chances by spreading the word about their bad experience. That's important, especially if your company is in a small market or there's a lot of cross talk between companies. Three Elements for Positive Transitions Gallup reports there are three significant elements to a positive exit experience. 1. The employee feels heard. Employees, especially the best ones, need to feel like someone heard their concerns and parting "words of wisdom" before they leave. Think about how this process should work. Exit interviews are often a staple of the departure process – but this might not be enough. Standard questionnaires are often structured around key areas of interest to you, the employer. Make sure you have a way to elicit the information that is most important from the employee's point of view as well. That's what will be the most valuable. You don't know what is on the employee's mind, and you need a way of finding out. So ask some open ended questions. Create a scenario where the employee can "wax philosophical" for a while and see what you learn. You may be surprised—and the employee will walk away feeling heard. 2. The employee is proud of their contributions. Gallup says, "Less than half of former employees (40%) strongly agree that they are proud of their work at their former employer." At the same time, feeling proud of their contributions strongly correlates with the perception of a positive exit experience. Because of this, it pays to make a special effort to recognize and celebrate your departing employee's work before they go. Whether that's at a going away party, staff meeting, a blurb on the company blog or Facebook page, or something else, the point is to ensure you are patting the employee on the back for notable contributions as you send them off to their next gig. This, too, makes them feel good about the company and helps you identify some of the skills you need in their replacement.

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