Finding great people and nurturing their talent is a big investment of both time and money for an employer. Replacing that talent can be even more costly. What should you do first when that star player hands you his two-week notice?

Talk it out. Find out why they are leaving. Do they want more money, increased responsibility or just need a change of scenery? A candid talk will reveal whether it makes sense to make a counter-offer.

Keep the door open. Sometimes people return. If you would like to see them come back, don’t badmouth the company they are going to, or talk negatively about them in their absence. Really, they are being trained elsewhere at no cost to you, so why not prepare to take them back when the time comes? Chances are they will return with fresh ideas and more insights into the business environment.

Create a transition plan. Finding ways to do business without a key employee can be challenging. You must manage the workload without overburdening the rest of the team which can cause resentment and burnout. Ask the departing employee to stay on longer or to leave a written knowledge base to help smooth the transition.

Get interim help. Rather than jumping to replace the exiting employee quickly, try bringing in temporary help while you determine what you need. This can address the immediate short-term workload while giving you time to draft a hiring plan.

Retrench before rehiring. You may not need to directly replace the employee. Take a look at what the position is currently and what you would like it to become. You may find that the workload can be distributed across multiple employees or you may decide to go in a different direction all together. Business changes all the time. Job descriptions must frequently evolve to keep up with changes in the market.

With more than 15 years in the business, the Staffers team has seen virtually every business challenge. We’re here to help you create strategies to address them. If you need help finding and attracting talent in Jackson, Mississippi or want to improve your retention rates, call us today.

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