Every company experiences attrition on some level, so instead of hoping people won’t resign or retire, you need to expect it. Losing a staffer can be a huge business disruption, but it doesn’t have to be. Stop treating key employees as indispensable and start assuming they won’t stay on your team forever, making sure your staff is fully equipped to operate without them.
When an employee moves on to a new job or resigns, you may have months of prior notice or none at all, so don’t risk the future of your business by not being prepared to handle attrition.
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Cross-Train Employees
There should be absolutely no tasks at your company that only one person knows how to complete. Even if the person responsible is the only one who ever completes these duties, at least one more person needs to know how to get the job done if they leave the company. Take inventory of all duties associated with each position and make sure other staffers have been thoroughly cross-trained to step in and take over at any time.
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Encourage Team Work
Collaboration builds a stronger sense of team, produces higher quality output and ensures the project won’t have to be halted — or even canceled — if the person completing it suddenly steps down from their position. The impact of one person leaving should be minimal if you have multiple other people still onboard with an equal level of knowledge.
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Fill Gaps With Temporary Employees
At best, finding the right new hire to replace an employee will take weeks, but the search can easily go on for months. In the meantime, your team is forced to take on a hefty workload to keep the company moving forward, which quickly becomes exhausting. However, you can easily eliminate this burden by working with a staffing partner to hire temporary workers to ease the burden in the interim, so you don’t push your hardworking staff past their limits.
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Create a Hiring Plan
Work with HR to streamline your hiring process, so you have a standard protocol for all managers to follow when an employee decides to leave their job. Delays often occur simply because managers don’t know exactly what steps to take to market the job and find the right candidates. You could also work with a staffing agency, allowing your dedicated recruiter to take the reins and find the best candidate on behalf of your organization, so managers can remain focused on the day-to-day aspect of their jobs.
Searching for bright and enthusiastic new team members to join your San Fernando Valley, Burbank, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita Valley or West Los Angeles area company? Contact Barrington Staffing. We know your organization has unique needs and expectations, so we’ll work with you until we find the very best fit.
