You just heard through the grapevine that your star staffer is looking around for a new job. What do you do now? Before you pounce on the employee, drop to your knees and plead for them to stay, get a few ducks in a row — which will help you head off future defections, as well.

First, most people leave jobs because the don’t feel connected personally, to their bosses or to their workplace. With this in mind, few employees tell the truth as to why they’re leaving. They don’t want appear to be a misfit or a troublemaker. Besides, these staffers want to preserve future job references from the boss. That’s kind of tough if you tell the boss you’re leaving because you never fit in. Some supervisors are likely to take that personally. Not only that, it can land them square on the hot seat when their supervisors ask why the staffer’s leaving.

The solution? You need to create a game plan for helping to build those emotional bridges between employees and their workplace, their co-workers and even their supervisors. The best way to do this is to take the usual expressions of appreciation to the next level.

For example: Sure, employees appreciate a handwritten note complimenting them on a job well done. But next time, write a note or pick up a greeting card, write about what a difference the employee is making — and then pass it along to the employee’s spouse or significant other.

Next, you can plan a one-on-one lunch (or breakfast) with that employee. Put on your listening hat and ask what really matters to that staffer — and come up with a plan for recognizing that.

Finally, you can bring in the heavy artillery. Maybe your praise doesn’t carry the weight that it used to with that employee. Talk to the CFO or CEO about this employee, and ask the boss to make a personal call to compliment the staffer for a specific action or performance. It can be a phone call or a memo, but the best way to handle this is in a face-to-face meeting with the brass. 

If your efforts to retain the employee fail, encourage them to share the No. 1 reason they’re pulling out. That won’t be as intimidating as explaining their whole decision-making process.

Tags: employee, supervisor, workplace