Why You Don’t Want Ask an Employee Giving Notice to Stay

1 minute read

When good employees give notice, it might be tempting to figure out how to keep them. Do they want more money, a different schedule, better benefits?

But Mary Gwyn, chief innovator at Apartment Dynamics, offers three reasons not to try to keep an employee who is ready to quit.

1. An employee giving notice has already decided that the next opportunity will be better. Once someone is in that mind space, it’s hard to turn back. If you convince the employee to stay, it likely won’t be for long. 

2. Employees who accept a pay hike to stay will likely wonder why they weren’t being paid more all along. Or it will just start a bidding war with the new employer.

3. Asking an employee to stay, and being turned down, can turn into an awkward conversation and can make the final days on the job uncomfortable for everyone.

So when even the best employee gives her notice, wish her well and maintain a good relationship to the end. She might want to come back some day.

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