Turnover is one of the realities of the working world, and it's one managers must prepare for from the first day they hire a new worker. By developing a firm foundation in their workplace – backed by solid hiring practices, regular employee encouragement and productivity tools like database software – managers may be able to survive the challenges caused by turnover.
According to The Wall Street Journal, it can cost businesses double a current employee's salary to hire and train his or her replacement. That's not to mention the loss of productivity that may be endured when one capable member of the staff chooses to leave the company.
Managers can limit turnover by establishing building blocks for a strong staff, the Journal advises. A thorough hiring process can help identify candidates that may be less likely to leave the company prematurely or abruptly. Similarly, open lines of communication between managers and employees can discourage the type of discontent that may lead a worker to submit his or her resignation.
Aside from adopting steps to limit turnover, managers may be able to prepare for this eventuality by firming up the overall team. The most rocky turnovers often occur when companies entrusted a single worker with too much responsibility or information. Smart Business provides the example of IT professionals, who are often given free reign over a company's tech operations and whose departure often leaves companies scrambling for help.
As a result, managers should develop processes that spread task assignments and resources evenly among the team, making it so that losing one member won't upend everything else. Similarly, by relying on inituitive database software to standardize and simplify operations, managers may be able to more easily plug a new employee into a vacated spot.