There was a time when my employees signed employment contracts without a defined expiration date. Somewhere along the line, the unspoken understanding became: you work here until the end of time, or the moment you choose to leave, at which point you have done me wrong, and are now officially on my naughty list.
The dynamic sucked, as we’d fostered an employment scenario where the only way to leave was on bad terms. This scenario would have been less detrimental if we offered a great deal of upward mobility in our organization, but the reality of the roles available was that the entry level coaching positions we provided qualified more as jobs than careers. When properly built into a logical path, they became appropriate career stepping stones, but with no end in sight, the reality was that they were jobs.
Over time, we began to accumulate a small but growing list of less than thrilled former employees, and with that came a subtle but noticeable downturn in retention numbers. In short, disengaged employees led to underwhelming client experiences. What a surprise, right?
Once the problem was identified, we introduced two year employment terms in our entry-level roles. The thinking then and now, has been that two years is the perfect amount of time to accumulate ample experience, outgrow the role, and then move on to bigger opportunities and expectations elsewhere within the field. Coaches who move on today are celebrated on their way out the door, and are eager to preach the capabilities of their successors to the clients who are sad to see them go.
If you run an operation with a track record of disgruntled former staff members, it’s time to reassess the options people have when entertaining the idea of moving on from your operation. Are you running a “you’re with us or you’re against us” shop, or are you looking for ways to help people become too talented to stay?
Those of you who fall into the former category are destined to learn the same difficult lesson I did: If you treat your employees like disposable commodities, you can expect them to eventually treat your hard-earned clients the same way. The inevitable retention dip will be no one’s fault but your own.
-Pete
PS: Whenever you want even more BFU in your life, here are some free resources: