5 Ways To Prevent Your Rock Star Employees From Jumping Ship

Having smart, talented people on your team is always an advantage. 

However, amidst the ongoing talent war and the Great Resignation, the last thing you need is your top employees getting snapped up by your rival companies. Ugh.

Fortunately, there’s a way to find out whether your star employee is seriously considering another offer. And if so, what can you do to prevent them from jumping ship?

Let’s take a look at what experts say. 

Don’t Rely on Non-Compete Agreements 

Having a non-compete and non-solicitation agreement may be standard procedure, but this is no longer the best course of action. 

According to experts, these contracts are never enough since employees are not company possessions. And instead of encouraging loyalty, research shows that these agreements actually stifle employee performance. 

This is understandable since no one likes to work with companies that control and limit their employees’ career moves. 

So rather than relying on non-competes, focus on being an employer that people won’t want to leave.

Pay Attention to Signals 

Surprisingly, people are more likely to quit around their work anniversary dates. 

This has largely to do with the annual reviews which make them reflect on their achievements and challenges for the past year. 

Hence, look for signs that may reveal an intention to leave for another job. 

Experts say that there’s usually a trigger event that pushes employees to leave. This can be a postponed project, work conflict, or a missed promotion. 

In case you’re unsure about the signals, don’t forget to pay attention to office gossip. More often than not, someone already knows if your rockstar employee has been in touch with recruiters or headhunters. 

Be Proactive and Take Action 

As soon as you confirm that someone is going to jump ship, have an honest conversation with that person. Start by saying something like, “I’m not upset and I’m not going to be mad. But I want to fix this.” 

Then ask them about what made them decide to leave. What are the main pain points that drove them to find a new job? Is there something you can do to improve the situation? How can you make them reconsider? 

In other words, look into options that can make them stay on willingly. 

Don’t wait for them to approach you. Because by then, chances are they’ve already accepted a better offer from another company. 

Don’t Jump to a Counteroffer 

Speaking of offers, experts say that counteroffers are often counterproductive. 

While presenting one may seem intuitive, it can be detrimental to both parties later on. 

For one, you can’t (and shouldn’t) force unhappy employees to stay. A demotivated worker can hardly provide quality output, can they? 

Moreover, boosting someone’s salary might create problems once the other team members’ find out. And trust me, they will eventually. 

Hence, before jumping to a counteroffer, analyse the situation along with the possible consequences. 

And if you suspect that your employee is just bluffing about a job offer to ask for a raise, let him/her go. 

Always Keep Things In Perspective 

Good managers tend to be hard on themselves whenever a good employee leaves. More so if it’s a rockstar employee. 

However, experts say that while it can feel like a poor reflection on your leadership, you must not let it get to you. 

Keep things in perspective and don’t overreact. More importantly, resist the urge to badmouth the resigning employee as it could backfire on your credibility. 

Remember, a certain degree of turnover is inevitable – regardless of how great you are as a manager. 

You can’t make everyone stay. What you can do instead is let them go and hope that they’ll come back. Or better yet, be replaced with someone even better. 

 

Remote Staff has been providing more than 3,000 Australian SMEs and entrepreneurs with talented remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. Aside from finding and hiring great people, we also help in onboarding and provide continuous support to keep both parties happy. 

Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.