In business employees are often an organisation’s biggest asset! Without their input your business will run on empty. Writing for Incentive & Motivation Simon reveals the top signs you should look out for that could indicate an employee may be looking to leave your business.
- Silence
Sometimes the most damaging business conversations are those which do not take place. If an employee is reserved, not participating in discussions and generally not speaking up, you might think they are just happy with the status quo and allowing others with concerns to voice their opinions. However, this could be a sign that they are unhappy but just haven’t the confidence to really use their ‘business voice’ to express their opinions. They may think their views are not worth listening to. These type of employees will not speak up and you will probably find their resignation comes as a complete shock, because they will not have given you any verbal signs that a departure was on the cards.
- Avoiding Eye Contact
If every time you are speaking to an employee they are constantly looking away or avoiding direct eye contact, this might be a sign that things are not all well at work. Sometimes people are just shy and find direct contact intimidating, so it is important to have a good understanding of a person’s character before jumping to any conclusions. Providing staff with the opportunity to voice concerns or opinions in an environment that does not make them feel nervous or unconfident could reveal simple issues which can easily be resolved and improve their happiness in their role, preventing them from moving on prematurely.
- Changes in Behaviour
Some employees are naturally more outspoken than others, but if you notice a sudden change in behaviour, particularly becoming more argumentative during meetings or refusing to follow standard processes, this may be a sign that the employee is looking to leave. People often need to justify their decisions and so creating tension in their existing role could be their way of creating the right conditions to move on guilt-free, with the justification that ‘things are starting to turn sour in this job so it is time to move on.’ Sometimes these people are just left to leave the business, but if they are an employee that you really want to keep then it is well worth taking the time to speak to them and find out what is causing their change in behaviour. It may be that it is not related to work at all, but in fact they are struggling to balance work and personal issues. You could be the person that offers them a lifeline, simply by having the conversation.
Read more on Incentive & Motivation here