Treat your ex-employees better!
Don’t cut them off
Invite ex-employees to your Friday drinks, parties, and events. Involve them in your success and make them feel part of a family, even if they branched out. See them as teenagers that have left the household, but will always be a part of your history.
If they feel like they worked on the foundations of your success, they might feel partially responsible. And then your success becomes their success.
Help them get ahead
Write a recommendation for them. Offer to help them find a new job, or make introductions at other places. Be honest in what they are good at and what they could improve so they can get better at their jobs and make more money.
Once they realize you‘re invested in their success they’ll see the benefit of maintaining a good relationship.
Thank them for their contribution
This is a basic thing but when people leave it is easy to feel betrayed, disappointed, and focus on the work that won’t be done in the future. I try my best to focus on the contribution people already made to the company, and thank them for that.
If you’re moving and someone is coming to help out for two hours, you can get angry they aren’t sticking around for the whole day, OR you can thank them for the two hours they gave you. I think that’s a more positive way to deal with people leaving and it shows you care about their personal success as well.
Remember why you hired them in the first place
When couples fight there’s an easy trick to make them feel better about each other. Ask them: how did you meet and fall in love? By asking that question they’re both reminded to look back at how it all started and to see the good in each other.
Apply this to employees too: you hired them because they were good and smart and you respected that skill. Don’t focus on the reason for them to leave and get all hung up about that. Focus instead on the reason why you hired them.
When people leave there’s always that emotional moment where you feel disappointed, and maybe even worse. But if you manage to overcome that and focus on the person in front of you, and imagine how you’ll both benefit in the long run, it’s possible to have a great relationship into the future. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll work together again.
Can’t get enough of Boris? Check out his older storieshere, and sign up for TNW’s newslettershere.
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Story byBoris Veldhuijzen van Zanten
Boris is a serial entrepreneur who founded not only TNW, but also V3 Redirect Services (sold), HubHop Wireless Internet Provider (sold), and(show all)Boris is a serial entrepreneur who founded not onlyTNW, but also V3 Redirect Services (sold), HubHop Wireless Internet Provider (sold), andpr.co. Boris is very active on Twitter as@Borisand Instagram:@Boris.
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