11.
A New Approach to
Retention: Leaving without Really Leaving

Recruiting new employees can be time consuming and expensive. Sometimes, you have to recruit two or three or four employees just to add one new highperforming value-adder to the team—someone who is going to stick around for a while. Then you have to train them and that costs money. It can take anywhere from six to twenty-four months before new employees earn more for an organization than they cost. If you are losing employees inside the first two years, you may be getting a zero return on your recruiting and training investment. That’s a problem. Granted, there are some employees you are probably happy to bid good riddance. But, what about the solid performers, and worst of all, the rising stars?

Look at the top four reasons why solid performers and rising stars leave their jobs in established organizations:

1. To devote more time to their personal and family lives.

2. To pursue a better job (greater responsibility, creative freedom, more flexible schedule, new learning opportunities, more money).

3. To go back to school for an advanced degree.

4. To start a business.

There are many ways for an organization to entice valued employees to stay. You can offer them raises, promotions, benefits, learning opportunities, and creative challenges. But, if they want to leave, let them leave … without really leaving.

The fact is, you can probably hold on to many of the solid performers and rising stars who leave… if you are willing to employ them on a more flexible basis.

Why can’t they leave their positions as full-time employees, but still add value on a part-time basis, or as flextimers, telecommuters, periodic temps, or consultants? After all, you’ve already invested in recruiting and training them. They know the organization and the people in it. They have some valuable skills and experience.

Leverage your investment: Most will be happy for the opportunity to take on as much work as they can fit into their lives and they’ll do as good a job as ever. Probably even better.