Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Are staff walking out your door?

Whether it’s happening experiencing it already or you’re worried about it in the future, attrition is never fun to contemplate. It’s certainly unsettling and can be highly disruptive, potentially affecting performance, reputation, and morale, and it can even have financial impacts. So what can you do to cope with staff loss?

1. Understand not all attrition is a problem.

Some departures aren’t bad—in fact, they may help your organization, improving outcomes, changing your work environment for the better, and even saving you money. While it can certainly be hard to willingly let people go, or even encourage them to leave, it’s sometimes worth seeing them off. Focus retention efforts on the people you want to keep. Read more

2. Find out why good people are leaving.

When you have undesirable attrition, you need to take the time to find out why. Data and exit analyses are two great ways to learn more about your why people are leaving. Together, the two methods can form a powerful way pinpoint the reasons people are moving on, enabling you to develop cohort-specific, targeted retention approaches. Read more

3. Expect some turnover you just can’t stop.

Explaining attrition may not translate into the ability to stop it completely. Some people are going to leave no matter what. You should focus on the things over which they have control, and the people you want to keep. Take care, however, not to undersell what you can offer. Challenges that may seem insurmountable may have effective solutions. Read more

4. Institute targeted programs to retain key people.

When you notice common issues affecting staff and volunteers they want to keep, you need to critically evaluate conditions and look for answers. Some problems may have easily identifiable corresponding actions, while for others solutions may be less direct. It’s important to interpret true workforce motivators, and focus on the right types of people. Read more

5. Keep and share institutional knowledge.

When key people do leave, you may hear things like, “She’s the only one who knows how to do it!” Such departures can leave organizations in a bind, so it’s important retain and pass along this “institutional knowledge.” You should document processes and, ideally, use a knowledge management system. On-boarding is also crucial in this regard. Read more

6. Be patient but proactive with replacements.

One of most challenging things about attrition is replacing the people who leave. Good selection is critical, and it’s important to avoid the urge to “settle” just to get someone on board. Moreover, new hires may lack organizational knowledge. Keep expectations realistic and minimize “prep time” with proactive on-boarding that goes beyond the basics. Read more

7. Keep track of how you’re doing.

Measuring effectiveness of retention programs and replacement strategies is critical. If the same attrition trends continue, something isn’t working. Similarly, if new hires aren’t meeting expectations, you’re probably not selecting or preparing them well enough. If you’re not tracking data, though, you won’t recognize problems, and you can’t adjust. Read more

Everyone faces the possibility of turnover. Some is actually beneficial, and you can limit “bad attrition.” When the inevitable happens and key people move on, it’s possible to cope. In the end, organizations that keep their best people while taking the worst-case scenarios in stride will have the most success over time.

Learn More

For more information, please visit www.snowflakellc.com/nonprofits, or contact info@snowflakellc.com.  Piedmont Strategic Management, LLC contributed to this article.