Learning & Development, Recruiting

What to Do When an Employee Suddenly Quits

One of the most uncomfortable feelings in the business world is being suddenly dropped by an employee.

You thought things were going well and that this person was satisfied in his or her role, only for the person to quit? All sorts of emotions may surface—anger at being “abandoned,” frustration because of a lack of communication, sadness at the loss of an employee you appreciated, envy for whoever’s going to get the worker next, or frustration at having to fill his or her role on a moment’s notice are all completely understandable. No matter how long you’ve been in the recruitment or HR business, the truth is, losing an employee can still sting and feel personal, even when it isn’t.

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But it’s also important to be able to put those emotions aside and lead the recruitment effort with grace. There’s no point in getting angry at an employee who no longer works for you. Instead, it’s essential to look forward and focus on next steps. By looking forward, you’ll be able to keep business operations thriving and fill the role as efficiently as possible.

When an employee quits without much notice, here are a few things you can do to land on your feet.

Communicate with Other Employees About the Change

“Communication is key” is a cliché because it’s true. Communication, communication, communication—without it, your employer/employee relationship will suffer. Your other employees may be anxious, especially if the person who left was in an influential or a leadership role. They’re probably wondering what happened and if their plate is suddenly going to become a lot more full.

Even if you don’t have a ton of answers, the clearer you can be with your employees, the better. Something as small as letting them know that in the coming days, they may get more details about their own tasks can help put them at ease. You can also meet with employees to see how this person’s departure is going to affect their day-to-day operations. No matter what, you don’t want an employee’s departure to become watercooler (or, these days, Slack channel) gossip. The less information you’re able to give, the more employees are going to fill in the holes themselves. They also may be more bitter about taking on more work if they aren’t sure why they’re doing so but are more likely to be understanding if you can explain that you were blindsided and that this is temporary.

Shift Roles and Responsibilities

Next, it’s essential to look at what the employee was doing to keep your company running and figure out who’s going to do those things. Is it the end of the world if you don’t post on Instagram for a day? No. But if this person was in charge of something vital for day-to-day operations, you need to ensure someone else is covering his or her tasks. Furthermore, while social media posts may not seem crucial, you don’t want to suddenly go 2 weeks without posting, either. Make a list of everything that particular employee dealt with, and ask those on the person’s team, as well. Once you have a concrete list, you can break down tasks by category and assign them out as needed.  

If the employee is still going to be around for 2 weeks—or any amount of time—ask for his or her help in this regard. A detailed list of what the worker does each day will be a valuable asset, and he or she may even have suggestions as to who could take on those tasks.

Begin the Replacement Process

It may be tempting to fill the open role as soon as possible, but don’t rush into a bad hire just because you’re panicked. Making a premature job offer will cost you more resources in the long run. This also may be a great time to reevaluate the open job role. Are the pay and title appropriate for the amount of work required? How important is this role within the priorities of the company? Is there someone in-house or a part-time/contract worker who may be able to pick up these responsibilities so you don’t have to rely on your recruitment pipeline?

Once you’ve refined the job role and description, jump headfirst into the replacement process. Make sure your next hire is a great fit for your company culture, as well as the responsibilities the person will be taking on.

Prevent Sudden Exits in the Future

Lastly, as much as it hurts, think about how you can prevent this kind of issue in the future. Was your employee just enticed by the promise of more money elsewhere? Maybe! But there’s also a chance your company played a role in his or her departure. These things aren’t always fun or comfortable to think about, but if you want to prevent another sudden departure in the future, you’re going to want to sit and think through your contribution.

Exit interviews can go a long way in this regard. By sitting with the exiting employee and learning why he or she is choosing to leave, you may see blind spots within your company policies. Maybe the worker didn’t feel recognized enough for his or her work. Maybe the person wanted a better health insurance policy because he or she has a family to support. Maybe he or she didn’t see opportunities for advancement or promotion. This is all great information to have, whether or not you can make concrete changes. There’s almost always a chance to tweak things in a small way—you don’t need to completely revitalize your health insurance plans in order to give someone a couple extra days of sick leave.

If you’re unable to perform an exit interview, you can still evaluate the working relationship from your own end. Were there any red flags with the employee that you avoided or any moments of conflict you never solved? These can be great lessons to take into the future so the next time you have an employee in that role, you can increase the person’s chances of sticking around.

Claire Swinarski is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.

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