What Your Employee Exit Strategy Says About Your Company Culture

Your employees will leave for a better company culture.

Your employees will leave for more pay.

Your employees will leave because they don’t feel valued.

Your employees will leave because you punish them for leaving work on time.

Your employees will leave for a better boss.

Your employees will leave because they didn’t get the promotion they worked hard for.

Your employees will leave because they don’t see a future with your company.

Employees leave for many reasons; that is the reality of the cycle of the workforce.

And that’s OK.

As employers, we should applaud when our employees make progress in their careers. Leaving for a better opportunity to use their skill set and gain more experience is an amazing accomplishment. However, when employees leave for reasons directly tied to company culture, this creates an opportunity for leadership to shine a light on areas that require evaluation and improvement.

What’s not OK

When an employee submits their letter of resignation, only to be met with acts of microaggression in one form or another. Usually from their immediate manager, but sometimes other team members as well.

How an employee exits an organization should be handled with as much care and pre-planning as onboarding.

When exiting employees are left out of meetings, removed from systems that are important to their job function, or told that since they’re leaving anyway, their last day is effective immediately rather than waiting two weeks, it shows weak spots in an organization's company culture.

It also sends an employee off with a negative view of the company.

Here are a few points for nonprofit leaders to consider as employees move on to greener pastures:

• Make sure that your company culture strategy includes insight on how exiting employees are to be treated, and ensure that managers of all levels are aware of the strategy and follow it.

• Conduct employee interviews with a listening ear, and a desire to do better based on what you're hearing from the exiting employee. Hold managers accountable for behaviors that need to be adjusted.

• Create a company culture worth working for! Need help with that? Schedule your 45-minute Company Culture Exploration Call today and discover how Work Place Renaissance can help.

At Work Place Renaissance™, we’re passionate about helping nonprofit organizations create positive, thriving workplace cultures where employees feel valued, connected, and engaged. Whether it’s through enhancing internal communication, boosting employee wellness, or driving meaningful engagement, we’re here to support your mission from the inside out. Let’s work together to transform your workplace culture and empower your team to thrive. Schedule your 45-minute Company Culture Exploration Call today and discover how Work Place Renaissance can help your nonprofit build a company culture worth working for!