You have a long-standing employee who has their own chapter in the company’s history. They have become part of your work family. You cannot imagine the organisation without them.
They hand in their resignation.
Why does this happen?
According to global research, around half of all employees are actively looking or watching for new opportunities, and the average tenure with a single employer is around four years. Against the backdrop of rising expectations from candidates and the difficulty of finding quality hires, these numbers are sobering for any employer.
The decision to leave is usually driven by one factor or a combination of several. Getting stuck in routine, stress, lack of development prospects, compensation, conflict with colleagues or a direct manager — these are among the most common reasons that lead to the parting of ways.
So what do we do with the “old dogs”?
Watch for the signals. They most often show up as low motivation and energy, forgotten tasks, missed deadlines, difficulty with even routine responsibilities, a tendency toward criticism or irritability, and general apathy. If there is no personal or health issue involved — the warning light is already on.
Train and develop. Build on your employees’ skills, qualify them, let them feel they are growing and becoming more valuable.
Give variety. If the structure allows — promote the long-standing employee. If the organisation is flat — develop them horizontally. Assign new responsibilities, change up their tasks. Do not let them fall into the trap of monotony.
Recognise good work. Mistakes get noticed and discussed. Strong performance, on the other hand, too often goes without comment. When work is done well, make it clear that this has not gone unnoticed.
Think about compensation. For long-standing employees, money is rarely the primary driver of a resignation decision — but it should not be ignored. If you have the ability to offer a bonus, do it.
Allow for rest. It is reasonable to expect high performance — but it cannot be sustained without adequate rest, and expecting otherwise will inevitably lead to a decline in both motivation and effectiveness.
It is worth remembering that long-term commitment to a company is a two-way process. How long an employee stays depends on how compelling the reasons you give them to stay actually are.
If retaining key employees is a challenge for your organisation, get in touch — we would be happy to tell you about our development and engagement programmes.
