Like most consultants that I know, my office is in various coffee shops along the Front Range of Colorado. As a result, I hear lots of different conversations. Last week, I was sitting next to two women in one of my favorite office locations. They were having a heated discussion about Woman #1’s abrupt departure from Woman #2’s company. The conversation went something like this:
Boss: “I can’t believe that you left!”
Employee: “I told you why I was frustrated!”
Boss: “But I thought we fixed the scheduling problem. You didn’t tell me about the other issues. I can’t fix it if I don’t know about it!”
Employee: “How can you not know about it? You are the boss!”
The “boss” is ultimately responsible for everything that happens within her company. One important responsibility is to ensure a healthy work environment for her employees. In this scenario, or any scenario for that matter, blaming her employee for lack of communication does not resolve the issue. I find most often that employees attempt to discuss problems in a very subtle way. They often feel hesitant to make complaints because they are really unsure of how receptive said boss will be. To help you spark the conversation with your employees, look for the signs that an employee is thinking about leaving:
- Your top performer is now underperforming. If you begin to have performance problems with someone that you’ve never had an issue with, it is time to ask them what’s going on.
- Your employee asks about another opportunity in your company. This means they are not feeling challenged, grown bored with their current position and may be considering a change.
- Your employee mentions that another company is trying to recruiting them. This is a very subtle way of an employee letting you know that they are exploring options.
If you don’t want to be caught unaware, then listen and pay attention to your staff. They will tell you when they are becoming unsatisfied.