💜It’s okay to move on

Hello and Happy Friday! 

We left off last week talking about how freaking difficult delegation is - and boy did it resonate with people! I heard directly from a handful of you who also struggle with this tricky aspect of people management.

Rest assured you’re not alone!

One thing I didn’t touch on last week is the one area of success I have found in delegating - and that’s getting help in writing this very newsletter. Today, I want to share a little bit about that journey and its next chapter!

Yours in celebrating change, 

Jill

A fond farewell

As many of you may know, I LOVE writing. I’m a journalist at heart and have always enjoyed the process of bringing my ideas to life through the medium. But as Want to Work There grew, it quickly became apparent that this was an area where I was going to need some help.

Cue Emily.

For the past 15 months, this wonderful human has supported me in writing and editing this very newsletter. Without her, there is absolutely no way you would be receiving such detailed, compelling content every other week - something I’m incredibly grateful for! 

Why am I sharing this now? 

Because as of last week, Emily has moved on to an incredible new, full-time opportunity!

I’m obviously sad to be wrapping up this chapter with her, but I’m even more elated that she’s found a fully aligned role with a company she’s genuinely excited about - something she has been looking for, for quite some time.

Beyond giving Emily all the praise and recognition she deserves, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the experience of employees moving along to a new role. It’s an opportunity that we still get wrong more often than right - even though the days of someone staying with an organization until retirement are far behind us. 

So why can’t we celebrate when it’s time for someone to move on?

I think most often it’s because we’re stuck in the short term fears that emerge. 

• “Who is going to do the work now?”

• “How am I ever going to find time to hire someone new?”

• “Is my boss going to see this loss as my fault?”

• “Is this move going to encourage others on my team to jump ship?”

These are all legitimate fears and emotions, but the reality is your employee has made a decision (no, we’re not talking about why counter offers don’t work today) and is leaving.

So really, you have two options: 

1. Make the employee your emotional punching bag. Give them the cold shoulder. Make snide remarks about their decision, both to them and your team. Tell them to hand over their computer and leave immediately. Basically, make their life as miserable as possible before they leave.

2. Celebrate what is an exciting new chapter for them - and find someone else to express your stress and concerns to. Genuinely congratulate them on their new opportunity and ask what they’re most excited about. Schedule time to talk through an offboarding and transition plan, without making them feel guilty about it. Sing their praises in a public channel (Slack, all-hands, etc), noting that while they will be greatly missed, you know that this is part of career growth and you celebrate it. The former leaves that employee with a horrible taste in their mouth. Forget anything you’ve done to make their experience great while they worked for you, this is what they will remember and associate with the company. 

The latter shows the employee that you genuinely care about them as a person - not just a cog in the machine. Ensuring they feel supported on the way out is just as important as ensuring that experience when they first join the team. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will pay dividends in how they speak about your company and who they refer for future opportunities. Heck, they might even come back themselves at some point! 

Emily knows the virtual doors are always open, should she ever want to return. Regardless, I’ll continue to be her biggest cheerleader as she dances into this new chapter!

STUFF WE'RE LOVING

Know a writer? You guessed it - I’m looking for someone new to step into Emily’s role. Ideally, someone who has a way with words, but also a background in HR or employee experience. If that’s you, please give me a shout!

Things are looking Brite…Side! I am beyond excited to be facilitating some group conversations at Workshop’s first conference, Briteside. Knowing the team, it will be a thoughtfully designed experience built for connection and practical insights. See you there?

Slack-tiquette? As the Want To Work There team grows, I’ve been dipping my toe in the Slack waters again. We’re still in the early stages of defining what norms work for us, but I found this article a particularly interesting read.