Generations Blog

One of the laments I hear from employers is about the thirty-something professional who completes management training, rotates thru all the learning opportunities and then proceeds to leave for greener pastures within months. As a result, the organization has spent tens-of-thousands of dollars, mostly for naught. When I ask why they think this is happening, most blame it on the perceived lack of upward mobility within the firm.  After all, these young professionals are typically afforded considerable access to those who will impact their future over time. Imagine looking around and realizing that your opportunities for promotion are not all that abundant. “What,” you might think, “will I do with all this training and development if there is no place to go?”

On top of this, there is the well-established belief among those in Generation X that a job is a contract. If the organziation trains them but then places them in a holding pattern, why wouldn’t they leave? This can be especially true if the recruiting function did a good job of selling the promotional opportunities within the firm when they were hired.

So how does an organization successfully retain those in whom it has placed so much investment? Here are five suggested steps to addressing the issue:

1. Take closer look at who you hire. While is perfectly understandable to want to hire the best, the best are also the most restless. After all, a Stanford MBA knows he’s a Stanford MBA. More than one organization has found success by targeting those coming out of schools that are less well-known but that still produce quality graduates. A  young professional who is more thankful to have the position may be less likely to leave at the first opportunity. I am also a big fan of dis-enfranchsied professionals, those who have made the rounds, don’t like where they are, but are ready to settle down. Regardless of the source however, a day of interviews, a well-written resume and solid scores on the personality test are no match for the sophistication of today’s candidates. It takes more work than ever to hire the best people, but that’s a topic for another post.

2. Find out why they leave. I am sometimes astounded by the dearth of information organizations collect on those leaving for other opportunities. If I had invested all that time and money into these people, I’d sure find out why they’re leaving and when they started to look. If necessary, hire an outside firm to ask the questions and report back. You have to dig deeper than the “more money” answer.

3. Look for signs of leaving behavior. Supervisors need to be more attuned to indications of restlessness and be aggressive about addressing them. The fact that someone is dressing better, taking unexpected time off, or making comments that would imply dissatisfaction, are only the tip of the iceberg. Be assertive about asking. Google the person’s name looking for resumes. A manager should never be shocked that an employee is leaving. If that’s case, he or she should have been paying better attention. In attentiveness can cost big money.

4. Consider your approach to dealing with restlessness. Veteran managers, in particular, need to be careful about how they broach the subject of promotions and opportunity. It is the nature of young professionals to be impatient. Beginning your comments with “It took me five years to get my first promotion,” is a sure way to make young people disengage.  While no one intends to be that blatant, even subtle references about paying dues can engender resentment or frustration. The key is to sincerely ferret out the true desires of the young professional and then attempt to address these issues without placing a value judgment on them. Admittedly, this is easier said than done.

5. Get creative when offering opportunities within the organization. Those in their thirties are intent on continual personal growth and career path development. But with few exceptions, organizations are still pyramid-shaped in their structure. This makes regular promotions difficult. Traditional promotions, however, are not the only answer. Offering opportunities for additional certifications, experiences, licenses, special projects, and a host of other variations can be one of the best ways to retain those who have completed formal training and mastered their present position. You won’t keep them forever, but they are also realistic enough to recognize that they cannot keep jumping from job to job simply because the present challenge has come to a conclusion.

It is the nature of those within Generation X to continually weigh their options and opportunities. So expecting to eliminate turnover of these individuals is unrealistic. In some cases, their departure may have nothing to do with the job. After all, Xers pioneered the balance-of-life issue within society. That said, there is still much employers can do to address job flight after completion of management training.