Power Connections, Inc.

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Executive Outplacement • Executive Coaching • Professional Networking • Career Management Consultant • Career Concierge • Expat Support

Can you recall that special feeling when a key employee provides you with their "two weeks" notice? Even the most seasoned manager has to feel that they failed in some way to not have seen it coming. The most loyal employee can look like a traitor in spite of many years of great service. Harsh words and tears might even be part of the meeting.

Emotions aside, "two weeks" notice is never enough time to find and train a quality replacement. In researching the origination of the "two week" notice standard you will mostly find a debate whether it is required at all! In the absence of a contractual obligation there certainly is no legal requirement so it becomes an ethical debate. Factor in if the notice is given while you are on vacation and you are a magician if you can get a replacement in time for any kind of smooth transition.

To make matters worse the time that follows the notice is never very productive, especially if a good employee's remaining two weeks is scattered with long conversations about her/his future, a going away party and a few long lunches. When a bad employee leaves it is the same along with a few sick days, negative gossip and even longer lunches.

Employees are going to make job changes; the key is planning for them making the transition work for the employer as well as the employee. Over a twelve year period (1993-2004) in a competitive job market, I managed a department where the two week notice was seldom an issue. In fact it was the norm for an employee to discuss future plans prior to even beginning a job search. This discussion usually occurred anywhere from three to nine months prior to the employee leaving our company. A job change became a "win-win" for both the employee and employer.

Jennifer was an accounting graduate who in her initial interview let me know her long-term goal was to someday work for a CPA firm. I had discounted the comment at the time, everyone with an accounting degree is going to become a CPA, but after a year she let us know she was going to sit for the CPA exam in six months. Instead of frowning on her lack of loyalty we responded by offering to pay for her CPA review course. About nine months later she announced she had passed the exam and would be looking for a CPA firm that would hire her. We actually provided some recruiters for her to talk to, including our own auditors, and began our search to replace her. She helped interview and train her replacement all before she left for her new company. It was an excellent transition that everyone felt great about.

Christine worked for our company for four years when she expressed her desire to return for her master's degree. She had become our excise and sales tax supervisor, a critical and specialized position in our company. With the confidence she would not be alienated for sharing her future plans, she participated in finding and training her replacement. This was well in advance of her leaving so we put her on a project in our credit department to create a risk model for customer accounts. It was an important project and became an addition to her resume that helped her in both her college application and post-graduate job search. She was accepted at UC Irvine and after completing her master's she was hired by PriceCoopers as a consultant.

These were key employees that our company valued. They are also representative of six other cases of similar turnover situations. It is a process that any company can develop with communication, trust and leadership. Here is how we did it.

First, you need to communicate the concept that you understand the job may not always satisfy their current or future needs. In other words, you know they will grow and things can change. From the day they start let them know that as long as they perform well you will support any kind of change they need whether it be it internal or external to the company. When Kathy told us she always wanted to be in graphic design we never took it personally. She let us know prior to even staring her search for a new job. In three months she had hired and trained her replacement. Six months after leaving the company she was at our door, in her new job, bidding on our advertising brochures.

Second, take the time to ask if your employees are satisfied in their jobs. Let them talk about long-term personal career goals and what they value. Always end those conversations by assuring them that you will always support them in pursuing their goals. Remind them of your commitment to them and that all you want is never to receive the dreaded "two weeks notice". You want time to prepare for changes.

Lastly, you must follow through on your word. You will need to gain the trust of your managers and employees to make this work. For an employee who gives you a long advance notice make sure you support them to a fault. Make sure they have a job until they leave and even if that time occurs around "raise time" be sure to meet their expectations. On their last day make sure you give them a good send off in the form of a lunch and/or small gathering. A small gift is worth the money. You have to be stellar in the way you handle this or others will not buy into the concept.

The benefits are surprising. In addition to smooth transitions, you have time to find a quality replacement. The employees feel more secure working for you knowing you will support their careers and I believe that confidence results in better performance. Additionally, they will be more open about their future plans and goals and this may give you the opportunity to meet those goals and keep them longer. Another benefit we noticed is several times these employees returned to the company. The process of leaving never alienated them from us and returning to our company remained a viable option.

So instead of feeling like you have been assaulted by your best friend you can bury the concept of "two weeks" notice in your company or department. Make it your goal to support your employees in pursuing their career goals and celebrate when they make that decision. The benefits are well worth it.