Despite a manager’s best efforts or an organization’s noble mission, employees will leave, and that includes the good ones.
In their book “Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss,” Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans offer several warning signs or observations that could mean someone has a foot out the door. They include:
* A project is winding down, no clear next step;
* Blocked promotional or learning opportunities;
* Doing the same thing for years, and bored;
* Perceived or real takeaways (something lost — the water cooler, e.g. — not a lesson learned);
* Poor or no relationship with the boss;
* Recent or pending downsizing;
* Friends have left the company;
* No apparent career path;
* Hot job market;
* “She used to contribute in meetings and is now very quiet. Her heart just doesn’t seem in it;”
* “Every day now he arrives late, leaves early, and takes long lunches;”
* “A sign they might leave is making a major update to their LinkedIn profile. Every time I’ve seen that, it turned out they were looking;”
* “When they stop volunteering for special projects or task forces, I worry that the thrill is gone;”
* “When the former optimist turns pessimist, I wonder what’s up. It could be something else, or it could be the job;”
* “One guy started showing his buddies the job openings he was finding on the Internet;”
* “A younger employee asked several people at work to review her updated resume;” and,
* “When they used to always join the Friday night happy hour and now they don’t.”