Staff moving on to other places? Time to embrace it

“I USUALLY try and plan for the staff who perform better in my team to leave – either to other bigger roles or companies.”

When my friend – who leads a team of about five – shared this information, my immediate reaction was to ask: “But why? Wouldn’t you want to keep those staff in your department? Especially after all that training?”

The reply was: “Sure, I would love to, but let’s be real. We all know that people, especially the younger ones, aren’t going to stay around forever.”

It took a while for the logic of this statement to sink in, but the more I mulled over it, the more it made sense.

Earlier this year, The Business Times reported that the rate of job switching in Singapore rising to a six-year high in 2022. Although the incidence of job change rose across all age groups, it was more pronounced for workers under 30.

So if rising turnover is a trend – and not a fatal flaw of a company – should we embrace it?

I have always been against branding the workplace as a family. After all, I don’t think my bosses would be as tolerant as my parents if I were to take a day off, just because I felt like it.

Hence, unlike a family that has to stick together no matter what, the idea of people joining and leaving the workplace has always been a natural one to me.

But to hear someone say they actively plan for their staff to leave, came as a surprise.

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As my friend said: “I know the idea is not palatable to some, but you won’t keep them just by telling them to stay.”

She cited an example of a high-performing member of her team. “It’s evident he won’t stay forever and wants to learn new things. So I planned with him to stay in this team for about two more years, and what he should work on each year... and then where he should move on to.”

Being that springboard for your staff to move on to bigger and better things is certainly laudable. And of course, withholding training in the hopes that your staff will never improve and leave is downright selfish and bad, as those who actually want to stay with the company will end up demoralised. 

Linda Teo, country manager of ManpowerGroup Singapore, pointed out that “workers usually change jobs because they want to develop their careers, be it career advancement, opportunities to learn or expand their portfolios”. 

“Companies need to offer (those options) to attract and hire workers,” she said. “Plus, workers nowadays – especially millennials and Gen Zs – tend not to stay long because they are aware of the need to build career security instead of job security.”

She added that while it would be nice if new hires stayed on after being trained, “it is not a bad thing either for the company if they leave and new people join. This is because these new joiners will bring with them different perspectives and ways of working that can help improve the organisation.”

“At the end of the day, companies will always need to hire and train people to build their talent pipelines.”

Instead of focusing on the downsides of “managing out” employees, companies should think of how investing in training as well as developing a great employee experience can enhance the organisation’s reputation as an employer of choice, the country manager said. This will help attract prime candidates in the long run.

But most people would (understandably) want to hold on to better-performing employees for as long as possible. So what can be done?

Teo said that to retain staff, companies need to first understand their needs and motivations. 

“Employers need to make sure they understand what employees want and address them. For example, if the employee is looking for career advancement, then companies should appeal to them by talking about the training and exposure opportunities they can provide to help them move up the ladder within the organisation, or at the overseas offices.”

She added that companies need to regularly engage their staff and stay close to the ground, to ensure they remain relevant in terms of workforce trends.

“For instance, if many companies are shifting to hybrid-work mode and studies indicate many workers prefer this arrangement, the organisation needs to consider offering hybrid work to address these needs. They cannot be complacent and must constantly improve to keep their best talents.”

But even when a company does its best to engage and retain staff, the grass will somehow always look greener on the other side.

Instead of putting a full stop on the relationship when an employee resigns, companies should allow those who have left on a good note to return without stigma  – which is something that happens in my current workplace.

I have seen colleagues who left for years return – with new knowledge gleaned from their experiences elsewhere.

When, out of curiosity, I asked one of them what was it that drew her to come back, she said that she was allowed to try something new along the lines of what she was keen to explore.

“So that flexibility and ability to negotiate my job scope was a huge draw.” 

At the end of the day, like it or not, your better employees may be leaving – and it’s probably time to embrace it.