3 warning signs an employee is gearing up to exit

Signs an employee is gearing up to exit can go completely under your radar. Or, the warning signs are blatantly obvious! Unfortunately, whichever the scenario, sub-standard performance of an employee can impact the service delivery of your brand, products and services, therefore, it's better to be one step ahead in knowing the warning signs, so you can take precautionary action.

The following points may help you figure out if your employee is on the move:

1. Disengagement - are they providing less input into tasks and the general culture of your business? Do they seem absent? Are they less punctual?

2. Attitude - are they behaving differently from usual? For example, is their attitude more negative around situations they would otherwise be positive or persevering about?

3. Performance - has their productivity and/or quality dropped from the work they output?  

More often than not, the warning signs boil down to changes in behaviour. The good news is that if you catch on to this early enough and address it, there may be areas you can work around and accommodate to keep your employee engaged and to reduce any negative impact on the service delivery of your brand, products and services. Sometimes parting ways is the best approach. If they’re not the right culture fit for your business, its best to reach a mutual and planned decision to let them get on with their job search. Having this conversation with your employee demonstrates that you value them and care about their career. There is often an opportunity to work around any issues and move forward positively. 

Take away tip! Have regular, planned conversations around topics such as weekly one-on-ones and quarterly reviews.  These are opportunities to address performance (including positive performance and areas for improvement), and to check-ins on your team members engagement and overall commitment to your businesses values and outcome expectations.