An employee comes to you and says that they want to leave. Off course you can’t keep them at work against their will, so handling their REAL reason for leaving is the only way you can keep them. Now let me say this – the real reason is usually buried in a lot of PR (public relations) to make you feel like it is something that you can’t control. Do not accept these reasons!!!

A common cause for emotional turmoil for many employees thinking of leaving is them not wanting to put their current employer in a bad position by them staying or leaving. This is a very social trait and is very common if the employee feels they have been well looked after or hold a bond of respect with key management staff. The employee is in what you call a condition of doubt. They can’t go forward to help anyone unless they move out of this condition and fast. What is needed is for them to just make a decision – to stay or to go.

By not making a decision they are stalled in growing – their own production at their employer will be below their potential until they do make a firm decision. The reason for this is that they cannot plan confidently for the future – this may be even down to committing to meet customers or to internal meetings.

The sanest decision the employee can make is one that helps the most number of people and organizations.

As an employer you can salvage a potential resignation by handling their real considerations. Once you have the real reason you need to ensure that senior, whom is in control of handling the situation that has placed them in a condition of doubt, provide them with the REAL data instead of the employee relying of hearsay and rumour from their peers.

Next you need to consider the employee. Are you able to arrange their employment so that the reasons for them first thinking about leaving are dealt with? For example an employee in sales may be asked to call customers that clearly have had no need for their services in the past and expect a different result. If you can’t solve the issue – then the decision is a no-brainer. By them staying there they inevitably will start to resent you as an employer. This resentment can manifest itself consciously or unconsciously into lower production – in effect creating an excuse for them to be let go so someone else makes the decision for them. Until this happens their happiness will decrease, and hence family life will be affected. They may find themselves becoming depressed – and hence their health suffers. So in effect they have not helped anyone.

Next they need to consider their family. Is there in any conflict between their partner and their current employment? This can make things hard at home and hence will introduce itself – no matter how hard they try for it not to – into their happiness at work. For example, bringing work home continually can create a jealous partner due to lack of attention or “me time”. And finally they need to consider you as their current employer: Are they successful in their job? If not as successful as you like, what do they need to be doing to be so? Are they inspired to apply themselves to doing this?

Once a committed decision has been made to stay they MUST be prepared to do EVERYTHING possible to regain the required production and improve their area. This means working over and above what is normally expected of an employee to gain the right to be accepted back into the team. Regular acknowledgements of their wins – either big or small – will improve the chances of them staying.