The Leaving Party
I've been holding this blog entry in for a couple of months now trying to figure out the best way to write it and have it make sense. A few months ago I went through a mini-Exodus in my group where two of my key technical resources left the company where I work. There is never a great time for anyone to leave your team and from the moment they hand you that letter stating their leaving, you have about 30 seconds to determine what your response is going to be. Are you going to snap on them for abandonning you OR are you going to congratulate them on their decision to leave? Remember you have 30 seconds to decide? If you want to prepared for how you should react, then keep reading.
Congratulate Them
If you don't do this right off the bat, you're going to start down the wrong path. Put your emotions in check and sincerely congratulate them. This will put you and your team member in a safe frame of mind (READ: The worst is over, I told them I'm leaving). They are sweating bullets and trying to get through the next couple of minutes without having a heart attack. Ask them about the new position, what will they be doing, will they be earning more, what drove them to look for a new job? If you are really keen on trying to keep them you'll need to get out as much information from them as you can so you konw their wants and needs. Whether its immediately or a couple of days later you're going to need this information for...
The Counter-Offer
I'm not a big fan of the Counter-Offer, mainly because I meet with my team on a regular basis and I would hope to have gained some insight into someone leaving beforehand. Presumably you have also had a number of performance reviews with these individuals so you know whether they are being challenged, bummed out about what they make, looking to move up in the organization but seeing nowhere to go, etc, etc. Counter-Offers, traditionally come down to more salary, more vacation is rare because it upsets the balance of seniority which can cause ripple effects throughout the organization. Changes in position on the fly are difficult to offer as well, salary is a change where only the employee and employer know what has ocurred. The problem with the counter offer is it has a massive, gaping hole in it where any person with common sense can easily say - "Why didn't you do this before? What has changed since last we discussed this? Aaah yes, I am leaving you." And there you have it, you (maybe not you, but your organization) bet on them staying and instead they left. Most people do not leave jobs for a boatload more money, just enough to make them feel appreciated, even if you top that or meet that, it doesn't address the other issues that got them to leaving in the first place, hence counter-offers FAIL.
Team Reset
So, all is done, a key member of your group is leaving, (if you tried to counter, they rejected) and its time to move on. Before, any of this goes public, you MUST sit your team down and tell them first. They need to hear it from you and have that opportunity to ask you questions before the blanket email goes out. Your concern now is the hole in your group and before you walk into that room you need to have a plan. Here is what is happening, here is what we are going to do and here is how we are going to come out on the other end, look at what is on your plates, if you need that resource, schedule some meetings with him to review what he has done, engage in knowledge transfer, etc. During this meeting keep scanning the room, single people out for their thoughts if they are starting to look distant, you need them to be invested in moving the ball forward. Above all else, explain why the person is leaving - they went for a new opportunity, they were with us for a long time and want to branch out, etc, etc. Refrain from getting into financials, it is not your job to discuss different salaries between members of your group, this is private information and you should not breach that line of trust. Part of your objective here is to make sure everyone in your team is taken care of, maybe there is now room for further career advancement by some, or an opportunity to try something new, listen to that feedback and move forward with it.
Send them Packing in Style
This does not entail throwing a lavish party for them, instead you are trying to show them how valued they were to your team. Day One after the Exodus you should beging trimming their workload and spreading it to other team members, ask them how they want to tie off any loose ends and finalize any projects. On the last day that someone leaves your group, you should not have them fixing bugs or be assigning them new projects (I have had this happen to me). Both guys that left my group were putting in weekends and weeknights to finish up their projects, one guy was even writing new features for the next release to help out. Your goal is the future, yes we value you, yes we miss you AND yes if anything goes wrong at your new place of employment we will welcome you back. If anything this is the real counter-offer, because when they arrive at their new place of employment, you want to be the yardstick that they are going to compare their new job against and you don't want to come up short.