In light of this week’s news that the much admired New Zealand PM, Jacinda Ardern has decided to step down citing ‘burn out’, I wanted to share my thoughts on key considerations that should be made in order to mitigate the impact on employees when a leader resigns.
- Ensure continuity of operations: The departure of a leader can cause disruptions in the day-to-day operations of a company. It’s important to have a plan in place to ensure that the company can continue to function smoothly during the transition period.
- Identify and communicate the new leader: Having a clear plan for who will be taking over as the new leader and communicating this to employees can help to provide a sense of stability and reassurance during the transition.
- Provide support for employees: The departure of a leader can be stressful for employees. It’s important to provide resources and support to help them navigate the change and address any concerns they may have.
- Address any potential impacts on the company’s strategy or direction: The departure of a leader can impact the company’s direction or strategy. It’s important to address any potential changes and communicate them clearly to employees.
- Mitigate the risk of loss of key personnel or clients: The departure of a leader can put the company at risk of losing key personnel or clients. It’s important to have a plan in place to mitigate this risk, such as retaining key employees through retention bonuses or identifying and nurturing potential replacement clients.
- Communicate the next steps for the organisation: Provide a clear plan for the future and communicate that plan to the employees and stakeholders that will help to provide a sense of direction and stability.
- Consider employee’s role in the transition: Encourage employees to provide feedback and suggestions during the transition process, this will help to ensure that their needs and concerns are addressed and that the transition is as smooth as possible for everyone involved.
Two particular points that resonate and are a big part of the work we do at Q&R are numbers 6 & 8. On mitigating risk of staff attrition, we conduct in depth life boat crew interviews, to ensure your key top talent are nurtured and fully engaged even when the ship gets rocked. We also work with leadership teams to get under the skin of what employees are thinking and feeling – in good times and bad, using our Pulse Check survey tool coupled with expert consultancy.
I’d love to hear your comments on what else you think #HRDs and #HeadsofInternalComms need to think about during leadership transition.
#listenbetter #employeeengagment #leadership