“Building a career can be extremely fulfilling. You will discover strengths & resolve weaknesses you never knew existed within yourself. But if you lose your family, the I believe you will have failed…It’s no fun to come home and count your money by yourself”. – Mary Kay Ash
Letting go of outstanding and high potential employees for varied reasons can be real taxing and something to think about. As always, based on data and confirmed through exit interviews, the top reason would be the immediate supervisor, compensation issues, poor management, workload & work life balance, work abroad and “family matters”.
Human Resource would usually compile the data per period (monthly, quarterly and annual), by tenure (less than 6 months, 1 – 2 years, 3-5 years, 6-9 years and 10 & above years), by department (Production, Engineering, Shopfloor, Back Office support etc. and by position (rank & file, Supervisory, Key Talent & Managerial).
In most instances, with data showing clear and undisputable data, HR and Management would come up with both corrective & preventive actions that would mitigate the seeming increase in turn over trend. Organizational Development people would formulate strategies and with the help of department supervisors will implement such so as to immediately make an impact.
For issues related to supervisors, a communication & consistent engagement plan has been proven to be the most effective. A respectful workplace is always preferred from a high strung pressure packed work environment where the only reason to work is to deliver the desired results no matter what.
Compensation issues would always be an extreme balancing act between sustainability of the business and the retention of talent. Market data would always be a good reference based on industry & skills. A good business projection, visibility and financial capability makes this easier to address, well in some instances it could be challenging though there is always a way to making take home pay less of an issue such as a better work schedule, non-monetary benefits and a clear career path & trajectory.
Poor management as a reason for resignations is always a ticklish issue because you really have to be part of management to understand how decisions are made & how the over-all picture may not be really so rosy as it seems. For rank & file, in some instances, poor management may be things not going their way or to their liking. There are always hard and unpopular decisions to make which to employees are signals to jump the ship. Being very subjective about it, it creates a dent in employee-management relations. Foer management to be able to resolve this, being transparent, communicating on a timely basis and giving honest feedback about circumstances being “unliked or unpopular” decisions which in most cases are just changes that are uncomfortable. The workplace geography is changing.
With the advent of work from home set-up, “Work Life Balance” has become one of the biggest reasons why employees now prefer to work in BPOs than the traditional office on services or manufacturing. The ability to be working from the comforts of home sans the stress and pressures of commute, food to partake and constant interaction with co employees is a welcome relief. Though a real issue that needs to be addressed, given that some companies like manufacturing cannot really offer WFH set-up, HR through its OD can surely come up with ways, programs and system to ensure that a semblance work life balance is achieved even with the obvious challenges. In a very pressure packed company that I’ve had the opportunity to work in, our OD just did a 10-minute icebreaker on the shopfloor to relieve the stress and pressures of shopfloor work. Simple as it may, it was effective in making employees feel that company does not only care about output, but their mental health as well. It some instances though, it could be as complex as change in schedule or work shift, transfers of employees to leverage their strengths and/or address their circumstances etc.
The demand for Filipino work force be it managerial, technical or manufacturing is highest after the pandemic. This is because not only are we known to be hardworking and multiskilled, we are also dedicated and loyal to the tee. Asian countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore, the Middle East etc have always preferred Filipinos. Europe has also opened so many opportunities to showcase talent. For such instances, with the potential earnings to be more that 5 times what they will be making here per month, it is a no brainer that you really have to accept this a spart of natural attrition. What companies need to do for such is prepare early on, how to address the exodus of talent which could be addressed by a robust OJT system, succession planning and an effective technical skills upgrade for all. Again, OD with the cooperation of department supervisors can always plan ahead & mitigate this.
Hands down, the most difficult to fathom would be when high potential, an A talent and star workers turn in their resignations not of the prior reasons stated but when it is about family matters. There is really no solution or compromise that can be put forward for such cases. It is something that they have to do to help resolve family issues and or challenges. This is the only instance that I never asked questions nor try to offer alternative job assignment, increase pay for financial stability, a more work life balance friendly workplace or a career path. Who would want to go against a genuine desire to have more time with family if it has already been decided which is the priority. NO OD intervention can address such issues because it is truly personal and unique for each individual.
In a top manufacturing company that I worked for decades, one of my best engineers whom I recruited right after graduation from her university, resigned because she wanted to be able to bear a child. The workload, schedule and entailing stresses had made it very difficult to get pregnant. When Joanne told me about this, I thought, here is somebody giving up a bright career, a future managerial position and perks of seeing the latest technology which others have been dreaming of. Her best product to design, develop and produce is a family. Joanne now has a beautiful and talented daughter LJ and is happily married to Joel.
Another high potential bank officer who was projected to be one of the key officers of the top bank that she is working with had to go home to the province, accept a branch head position to be able to take care of her aging mother. Looking back, many have said that if she had stayed in the HQ, she would have gone high above the pecking order as she already established her reputation and capabilities in full display. Eventually, at a very young age of 40, she had to give up her robust banker’s career to be a fulltime caregiver as her beloved mother rapidly declined in terms of health not to mention she was also a mom as well and had to take care of her family. We are forever indebted to our sister Pines Tumesa for the sacrifice she made and chose the challenges of taking care of our mom in her waning years in exchange for a great sounding position at work. I envy her for being able to spend more time with our beloved mother Ligaya at that point of her life.
Against the advice of “old timers”, our young lawyer son Arvi Gerard had resigned from his law firm employment to move back to the province. His career path in this his previous employer would surely be bright given that his background on taxation, maritime law, corporate law etc were strengthened by his stint as a working student at the Philippine Maritime Institute & KPMG as a tax supervisor. It is risk that he wanted to take on earlier than planned. Being a UP Law graduate, other opportunities in law firms in Metro Manila would surely abound. When asked why he is resigning, his response was family matters.
My wife Irene, his beloved mom is a cancer survivor and is on remission for the past three (3) years, changed everything for all of us. Knowing that we are dealing with borrowed time, Arvi came back home to establish his own practice here not because he had a very good business plan or had enough client base or established a great reputation as a top- notch lawyer already but primarily to be with us his parents on a daily basis as our two (2) other sons are also based in Metro Manila pursuing their studies (Adrian Gabrial incoming medical intern & Andre Gregory, incoming 3rd year Sports Science major). Many times, it was just me & Irene alone in our home, making do with our respective Work From Home jobs, our pet dogs, garden and household chores. The return of Arvi to our home is a happy & welcome development for us. I think that made his decision easier.
Today is the official opening of the RIVERA & Associates – Law Firm, Notary Public & Consultancy (Reliable Advocates) that is located at Unit 202, 2/F, Primus Medicus Corporate Center, San Isidro, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
Rivera & Associates was founded with the mission to provide top notch legal representation and to be a trusted advisor to clients, guiding them through their legal challenges with expertise and compassion. It specializes in election, tax and corporate law and is ready to serve the diverse needs of clients. As the doors officially open today, building lasting relationships within the Pampanga community and making a positive impact through its work is the goal.
Indeed, based on my own personal experience, family does matter over career.
GOOD MORNING HARDWORKING PEOPLE!
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