A few weeks back Kris Dunn, Laurie Ruettimann and I did a series for SumTotal called HR Hangouts. The concept was to get on a Google Hangout for twenty minutes and just talk about real HR things. Basically, watercooler conversations for the modern world. Quick and easy. Here’s the actual video (it’s about 20 minutes if you have the time):
We called this one the FOT Turnover Predictor, which was basically what things do your employees begin to do to start showing you they are getting ready to turnover?
We all had different ones, but here are some of my favorites:
1. Parking Lot Calls. It doesn’t haven’t to be the parking lot, it can be a back stairwell, out a back door to the picnic table behind your building, etc. Basically, when an employee feels the ‘need’ to start taking calls away from their normal work area, for privacy, something is going on! Usually, that something, is another job. As an HR Pro I always address it right away, because it’s obvious and everyone sees you in your car for an ‘hour’ talking during your lunch, when you usually sit at your desk and check Facebook.
2. Banana Republic Wardrobe Update. “Hey, look, Tim has Skinny Jeans!” Wait, isn’t Tim like 40!? No, Tim isn’t going through a midlife crisis. Tim is interviewing! Work clothes are like a uniform. No one really wants to spend a ton of money on a uniform, so you tend to wear work clothes way too long. When you see your employees doing some major updates to their ‘uniform’ there’s a reason – newly divorced, having an affair, interviewing.
3. Crisp White Button Down, Dark dress slacks. No one normally wears black or navy dress slacks and just a white freshly pressed white dress shirt to work. Want to know why? It’s a jacket and tie away from being an interview suit! The only other time you see this is when someone will be attending a funeral that day. So, finding out who is interviewing is usually pretty easy.
4. Professional LinkedIn Updated Headshot. You know we all get emails when our connections do updates to your profile, right!? Oh, look, Tim just updated his LinkedIn profile photo from the one of him at the tailgate to one of him with a jacket and tie that looks like it was taken in his dining room with a sheet hanging on the wall…
5. New More Professional Personal Email Address. Hey, everyone, I just wanted to inform you I will now be using timsackett@gmail , instead of RecruitingGod@gmail – thanks!
It’s funny how employees really think they are being covert about looking for a new job, when usually everyone in the office knows. Our worlds are so interconnected now it becomes really difficult to try and go through a traditional job search, when you have a job, without anyone knowing you’re doing it.
I should add that several IBMers have received a patent on predictive analytics associated with propensity to leave.
Another sign, and this one is predictive of propensity to leave, is a decline in participation in internal social media. This can also happen before an employee even knows s/he is going to leave.
How about when their time off starts to fragment. Taking irregular time off, time off in the morning, afternoons, days in the middle of the week.
When this starts they are going to interviews.
And the most important sign?
Absolutely no sign at all.
Because while you’re watching what KD, TS and Rooty are saying about signs you’ve missed another chance to connect with your employees.
It’s no different than going out to dinner with your family then having everyone focusing on their “smart”phones.
Levy –
You’re so funny! Like HR people want to talk to employees! You just made spit Diet Dew all over my screen.
Stop it,
T