In times of increased turnover, employers often wonder if they could discover which employees are about to leave and take steps to keep that from happening. While it may not always be possible to stop an employee with one foot out the door (nor would you want to in every case), there are signs that an employee may be on the job hunt. These signs may be red flags, especially if they’re out of character for the individual, and there are several of them occurring simultaneously:
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- The employee’s social media profiles are cleaned up and up-to-date, especially LinkedIn, which is often used in job searching.
- The employee has notably improved his or her attire or grooming habits, which may mean he or she is preparing for job interviews.
- You’ve noticed an uptick in absences, beyond what is the norm for this individual. This can manifest in several ways:
- He or she might have had several “appointments” lately. Or, perhaps, the lunch break is much longer than usual. Or, he or she may have taken far more personal days or paid time off (PTO) than usual lately. These types of indicators may mean the individual is leaving for job interviews or to look for places to apply.
- If the employee is taking big blocks of time off, it may mean he or she is opting to use all of his or her vacation before leaving so he or she doesn’t lose that benefit upon departure (especially if your organization does not pay out all accrued time upon leaving).
- An increase in absences can also be a sign that the employee is utilizing his or her benefits before losing them, such as dental or vision insurance that may not be available at the next employer.
- The employee is going through other major life changes, which can prompt introspection and a push for job change, in many cases.
- There’s been a noticeable reduction in how many hours the employee is willing to put in or how often he or she volunteers for new projects. This may manifest as a simple lack of enthusiasm for the role. This can signal that they employee is spending time and energy on new opportunities. If the individual starts leaving earlier than usual (even if that simply means leaving on time for the shift), that may be a sign he or she is no longer invested.
- The employee often takes personal calls and perhaps even moves to private areas (such as outside) to take these calls.
- More problems are occurring, like missing deadlines or not completing tasks sufficiently. This may be attributed to the employee directing his or her attention to pursuing other opportunities and letting current responsibilities slide as a result.
- The employee may be speaking out negatively against the employer with other colleagues or online, expressing dissatisfaction.
- The employee has far fewer interactions with his or her direct supervisor.
- Alternatively, you may notice that the individual is tying up loose ends. Perhaps there are miscellaneous items that needed to be addressed and were long ago forgotten that suddenly get finished, or perhaps the employee is more invested than usual in ensuring that his or her team members are fully up to speed on projects—these could be signs that the employee is preparing for departure.
While obviously any one of these items may not be a red flag and may mean nothing—or may mean something else altogether—they are nonetheless some of the potential signs that the employee may be job searching or may already be in process of landing another role.
Be careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly, of course, but if you’re seeing a lot of this type of behavior from employees, it might be time to reevaluate what the organization has been doing to positively influence retention. When turnover starts to tick upward, the employer has the opportunity to be more proactive in keeping employees onboard.