| One of your employees comes to you with a | | | | But offering a raise may buy you time to come up |
| resignation letter. You didn't expect it and you're blown | | | | with a better long term solution. Can you solve the real |
| away. Visions of what's going to happen next | | | | issue with the employee? Would a different job within |
| bombard you. You've going to have to hire and train a | | | | your organization make them happy? Maybe they can |
| replacement, while keeping the job duties covered - | | | | work toward that goal over the next few months. |
| somehow. Assuming that this employee comes to | | | | Having them in a different job at your organization |
| work for the next two weeks, they'll probably be gone | | | | means they're still available to train and fill in when the |
| before you interview your first candidate. | | | | need arises. And you have a say in when they move |
| Is there any way out of this mess? Can this be | | | | from the current job. |
| undone? In spite of the standard wisdom that tells us | | | | Even if this employee isn't long for your company, you |
| that offering a raise to get employee to stay is not a | | | | now have time to start recruiting. Is there someone |
| good idea, the thought goes through all of our minds. | | | | else in your organization who could learn to do that |
| But is it really a bad idea? | | | | job? And no one needs to be threatened by your |
| History tells us that if an employee goes out job | | | | cross training plan. It's obvious to the person who is |
| hunting, salary is not usually the primary reason. There's | | | | now staying that you want them in the job. After all, |
| really something else. They want to do different work, | | | | you offered them an increase to stay. But at the |
| get promoted, work with different people. Those | | | | same time, you realized that they or any other |
| problems are not going to be solved for long with a | | | | employee could leave at any time and you should |
| salary increase. Very often employees decide to stay | | | | have a backup plan. If there are no suitable internal |
| and accept the increase. But within a few months, the | | | | candidates, start collecting resumes, just in case. Jump |
| real reasons they went looking rear their heads again. | | | | on Linked In and start networking. |
| Plus now that their resume is out there, employers are | | | | There are, however, some times when you should |
| calling them, unaware that they've made a decision to | | | | resist the urge to offer a raise to an employee who is |
| stay. They have one foot out the door and it's very | | | | giving notice. If this is not a good employee or if a raise |
| difficult to get that foot back in and close the door. | | | | would make them overpaid, you are better off to deal |
| But take a step back a minute. The average | | | | with replacing them now. Don't prolong the problem, or |
| employee stays in a job about 2 years. That's an | | | | worse, give it an opportunity to become permanent. If |
| awful lot of recruiting and training, which means a big | | | | the company is considering layoffs and this person |
| productivity loss. If you can stretch that 2 years by a | | | | might be laid off, let them go now while they have |
| few months, that's worthwhile. It's certainly worth the | | | | another offer. It's the right thing to do, and it will save |
| 5% to 10% raise that you're going to offer the | | | | on your unemployment insurance. |
| employee. There's a good chance you're going to pay | | | | Employers haven't been in this position for a while, but |
| the new, untrained person that much anyway. And the | | | | in the next few months the job market will start |
| existing employee is already productive, and will be until | | | | improving and we'll have to face recruiting again. If you |
| the day they leave. I think it's worth even in this | | | | can keep the good employees you have, you're 10 |
| situation, which we consider a failure. | | | | steps ahead. |