Rocky Esguerra: How to avoid sudden resignations in your team

You should never be surprised when a direct report resigns.

If you were caught unaware of their reasons for leaving, then you’re a bad manager – that’s the advice former CHRO and now executive coach Rocky Esguerra learned from one of her best bosses.

“You haven’t built enough trust for them to tell you they’re starting to feel unhappy,” Rocky said. “Once they’ve handed in that resignation, 98% of the time, they’ve already made up their mind.”

There are other reasons a sudden resignation is a “mortal sin” for a manager, according to Rocky. It shows that the manager may be “out of touch” with the direct report’s personal circumstances and how these could be affecting their work, and that the manager doesn’t understand their values and dreams.

While, in her years as a seasoned HR leader, Rocky has never gone through the predicament of losing a team member all of a sudden, she takes the lesson on “resignation ambush” to heart to prevent them and, more importantly, establish rapport within her own team.“I coach people who want to leave their jobs, [so] I know how they think,” she said.

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End-game tactics

When an employee tenders their resignation, “there’s hardly anything you can do to change their mind,” Rocky said. “They’ve already anticipated all the things you’ll suddenly offer just to make them stay.”

Managers’ end-game tactics include promising a promotion or career growth, a higher pay or bigger bonus, an international assignment, a new role, or an expensive training, which the leadership team might have earlier refused to give.

Some managers even go so far as to schedule “retention conversations” with superstars and VIPs in the company.

Sadly, all this would only prove in vain if the manager rarely shows genuine interest in their employees. These would simply be “desperate attempts that don’t solve the problem in the long term,” Rocky said.

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How to prevent sudden resignations in your team

What can managers do to prevent discontent and disengagement from brewing in the team – and thus avoid sudden resignations?

Rocky believes it starts with building a strong, open relationship with direct reports. She outlines them into five basic steps:

1. Know your people in terms of their professional and personal journey, and their values and aspirations.

2. Establish norms regarding how everyone should communicate, give and receive feedback, and manage deadlines, among other daily activities.

3. Maximise the 1:1 conversation as a chance to check in with them on matters involving work, the team and, in certain cases, their personal life.

4. Maximise formal HR systems, such as policies, reviews, compensation and benefits, rewards and recognition, and the like.

5. Stand by them by being consistent in your decisions, never blaming them or throwing them under the bus, and by being “true to your commitments to them”.

Rocky encourages managers to spend “casual, non-business time” with their employees, but she also reminds them to set boundaries. “You can be friendly, but you’re not their best friend. You’re still their manager,” she said.

Managers, however, shouldn’t just be task-oriented when associating with their direct reports.

“It’s not only about work,” the executive coach said, highlighting the impact of a supportive manager. “Your people need to feel safe that you’ll always have their back, even in tough situations.”

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What to do when it’s time to part ways with employees

“If you have a trusting relationship, you’ll never get surprised if and when they resign,” Rocky said. “You’ve already built a strong relationship. They’ll tell you – even before the first signs of discontent appear.”

Sometimes, instances of disengagement and dissatisfaction can be resolved – but, at other times, they can’t.

“If you decide to part ways, you can make that exit planned, smooth and respectful,” Rocky said.

Her bonus tip for saying farewell to employees? Keep supporting them.

“Once the work relationship has ended, continue to support and sponsor them,” she said. “Who knows? You may work together again.”