Something like a resignation letter may sound like an administrative detail. An employee quits, a replacement gets hired, and you carry on. But this is not always how it happens. An endless cycle of departing employees brings a set of challenges that can be easy to ignore. Managers familiar with the effects of employee turnover know there is much to learn about what happens after hiring ends.
Before the Resignation
Imagine a small marketing team with six employees. Everyone knows their responsibilities. The team is familiar with your workflow, clients, deadlines, and internal systems.
A seasoned employee deals with multiple key accounts. They are also responsible for troubleshooting issues experienced by new employees.
Then the employee resigns.
Initially, management anticipates a rapid turnaround. However, the effects start before a new employee even steps through the door.
The Workload Moves Somewhere Else
Until the position is filled, those incomplete tasks need to be taken care of.
Extra work can be performed by other employees. Meetings may increase. The deadlines might not be that easy to meet.
Short-term support is manageable. The issue arises when workers take on extra workload for weeks or months.
It is one of the short-term consequences of losing employees. The workload of the leaving employee does not just disappear. It tends to go for someone else instead.
Then Comes the Knowledge Gap
The more experienced of your employees holds more than just a job title.
They know which customer likes what type of communication. They understand internal processes. They are aware of where critical information exists and they know how to fix outlandish issues.
Much of this knowledge will never be codified.
And when that employee eventually leaves, the company loses that irreplaceable information. It is still learned, although a replacement might eventually learn it, but that could take time.
The New Employee Arrives
Hiring solves one issue but in the short-term actions brings another problem.
And the new hire is not yet trained and will require guidance. Current employees might have to walk through processes and check work.
Productivity can take an initial hit because seasoned employees are essentially doing double duty: performing their own work while also assisting someone in learning theirs.
This HR software will also cost money for recruitment, hiring, onboarding, as well as training.
What If Another Person Leaves?
This is where turnover can cycle in on itself.
When a co-worker leaves, existing employees can feel overwhelmed and this can cause lower job satisfaction. But once they get up and go, the load is only heavier on the remaining hands.
From one resignation to chronic turnover, a business can spiral out of control quickly.
The consequences of having such turnover, however, can go beyond individual employees; and have far-reaching effects on the dynamics within an entire team.
The Customer May Notice
Perhaps customers get affected too.
Having a new employee means they will need to explain what they need. Response times may change. Service may suffer as new staff members learn the ropes.
In realms where familiarity and trust establish customer relationships, even small disruptions can count.
Hiring Faster is Not the Best Answer
There are strategies that businesses can study the factors associated with employee turnover, discover why employees leave, and tackle workplace issues that drive away talent. Since you are only as strong as your weakest link, having a bad employee can impact productivity, knowledge retention, morale, and sometimes even customer relationships in the long run so by retaining good employees this damage is always mitigated.