01/30/2024
𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚: 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥?
A conversation that’s coming up more often these days is:
“One of my key employee’s just got an offer from another company. How should I respond to that?"
Here's a few steps to consider that helped me in the past to deal with this delicate situation:
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝: React professionally, not impulsively.
𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Plan a private conversation to understand their motivations— is it the salary, growth, work culture, or something more?
𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Assess their skills and their role's impact on your business.
𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫: If critical, figure out your offer— could be a raise, perks, or role change. Be realistic and consistent with your company's policy. Make sure they understand the entire compensation package.
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡: Share potential growth paths within your organization that align with their aspirations.
𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡: Sometimes, a simple recognition of their contributions can make a difference.
𝐁𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬: If they leave, ensure a smooth transition and interim management of their tasks.
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Reflect on your employee retention methods— are there issues that are leading to increased turnover?
𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: The situation is private, avoid discussing it with others.
You must approach every situation uniquely, evaluating the employee's value to your organization, the cost of replacement, and the potential impact on your other employees.
Handling this situation will always ask for balance and tact. The aim is to address your immediate concern and also improve your business's overall setup.