Reduce resignations by finding the cause first, from exit interviews and data on the people who left, then fixing the biggest cause before adding any extra benefits. The most common causes are the direct manager, the lack of a clear path to grow, and pay that is unfair compared with the market or with colleagues.
Step by step
- 1
Measure the problem
Your annual resignation rate, and who is leaving: new hires or long-serving staff? Which department? Under which manager?
- 2
Ask the people who leave
An exit interview run by someone other than the direct manager, with a fixed set of questions.
- 3
Review pay
Compare with the market and between colleagues in the same role, because unfairness inside the company does more damage than a gap with the market.
- 4
Map a growth path
What does an employee need in order to be promoted? Write it down and make it public.
- 5
Train your managers
Most people leave managers, not companies. Managing people is a skill that can be learned.
Resignations in the first three months are usually caused by a wrong hire or a poor welcome, not by pay.
Salary scale and grades template
Ten grades, each with a minimum, midpoint and maximum, then where each employee's salary sits in the range of their grade.
Download the template free- why employees quit their jobs
- how to retain employees