If Undercover Boss has taught us anything, it is that a business is not made up solely by its founder or CEO but rather by all the employees working in various roles. Naturally, most entrepreneurs aspire to hire their dream team and grow rather close to those individuals, perhaps even developing a favorite employee due to their work ethic or personality.
But what do you do when your best employee resigns? Even though the thought may have never occurred to you since they performed their job so well, they may make the decision to move onto another venture. How can you ensure company success and prepare for their absence?
- Reflect: It is first important to process this loss. Of course, it is never good to pry into why your employee is quitting if they do not feel comfortable telling you why. You would hope that they would feel comfortable letting you know why, but it is not always the case. If they do offer up their reasoning, take this time to see how you can improve the position for the next person to take its place and use their answer to determine how you can prevent losing a valuable employee in the future. The answer may lay in the pay scale, hours expected, PTO offerings, or even the work environment. Other times, your employees' reasons for leaving might be completely personal, and there is nothing you could have done to retain them.
- Delegate: Replacing your best employee with someone right after their departure can sometimes be seen as an insult to their contributions. Of course, if you find the right candidate, there is no shame in filling an open position. But do not rush yourself to fill this role. In the meantime, divvy up the position's responsibilities among different team members accordingly. While it may add some additional responsibilities onto some people's plates, it will also prevent you from forcing a new hire that might not be a right fit.
- Don't Compare: When it does come time to fill the position again, you may find yourself stuck in the cycle of comparing each candidate to the best employee that resigned. In some ways, this can resemble an individual trying to step into dating after being broken up with but not ever being able to make it past the first or second date since they cannot embrace the idea of somebody new. Keep in mind that you cannot clone your best candidate and that introducing someone new to the team can open up new possibilities. The sooner you remove this lens cap, the easier it will be to assess candidates fairly and find the right fit.
