When someone who reports to you quits because of you (letters, employed)
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Once I took pride in the fact that the person said I was the cause. Instead of passing a 'problem child' from team to team I documented expectations, minimum requirements, etc. And then followed up with documentation of when he failed or exceeded those expectations and made sure I had his signatures on all the documents.
But in general any dissatisfied worker who leaves will probably say his immediate supervisor is 'the problem'. The only time upper management should have a concern is when the same reasons come out time after time or from workers who were previously good performers.
This ignores the case when you are the cause that management's 'favorite worker' is the subject or when a worker with a particular skill is the subject involved. But in those cases the supervisor should have known what was involved and made sure they had upper management's buy in so they know there is a problem before it goes too far.
At work, when someone who reports to you (someone who you manage) quits because of you:
1. Does that damage you in the eyes of your boss?
2. Are you hurt?
1) No. Upper management *expects* me to weed out the non-performers. In fact, it is one of the key functions of my job, and it is preferable that they quit rather than needing to 'fire' them.
2) Not in the slightest. I don't like firing people, I'd rather it be *their* decision.
I think maybe if you are a young manager and a people pleaser this might affect you. Effective managers are not affected so much by this. People come and go, some will be happy, some have their own personal issues to contend with and bring it to work. The only time to take this seriously, in my opinion, is if this is someone who's been with the company a while and has a track record of success. If an employee such as this decides it's time to jump ship, then that may not be a good sign. Even so, if you are doing the right thing as a manager, the only option is to go forward. Being hurt wouldn't help you in any way.
When I was a manager, my own bosses in upper management were definitely made of tougher stuff. They didn't blink an eye if someone left, quit, was disgruntled, etc. They wanted results and if an employee was not on board with this, then they thought it was better for that employee to take their services elsewhere.
As a mid-level manager, I reported major decisions to my boss on a regular basis and consulted with them before I took such decisions. I think employees thought I was calling all the shots all on my own. Sometimes employees wouldn't be happy with a decision, but upper management already knew about what I was doing and approved. Therefore, an unhappy employee didn't faze them one bit. In some cases, they had me do things that I knew were going to make employees unhappy, but it was for the good of the company.
I guess to sum it up:
1. Definitely not
2. Probably not, but possibly for a day or two if it was someone valuable.
So true...most companies' view is one of "sour grapes". If the person quit then they were somehow a bad employee or at least unhappy so would soon be a bad employee - best to get them out the door fast and never think of them again! Certainly they were "disloyal" if nothing else so yeah, why would you ever blame a manager or the company?
I've been a Manager most of my career. I have never had anyone quit because of me. At least not that I'm aware of it. Even if they had, people don't always see eye to eye. As long as I knew I was doing my job properly and treating all fairly, I wouldn't care if they quit over me!
Well? I’ve kind of been in the middle of this a couple of times. The first time the person went home and killed herself, which is kind of quitting. But the discord she’d sowed everywhere she went was rather hidden until this happened. Basically, she pitted everyone against everyone else. So we never talked to each other. No repercussions to any employees.
The second time the manager who wanted me gone and was doing her level best to make me quit was told to knock it off by upper management, because I was deemed a valuable employee. A few months later she was “promoted”, because she wouldn’t let it go. She stopped the campaign, but apparently in meetings she wouldn’t let it go, and I was deemed more valuable than the manager. Always thought that was funny that she kept telling me I drove to far to work which is one of the reasons why she thought I should quit and that’s what they did — they moved her closer to where she lived. A lateral move, but they threw in a VP title to make her happy.
It was banking. My husband worked in banking too, and once had a guy screaming at him over the counter “don’t you know who I am? I am a VP!“ To which my husband replied “who isn’t?” In banking, VP is a very notoriously overused meaningless title.
Well? I’ve kind of been in the middle of this a couple of times. The first time the person went home and killed herself, which is kind of quitting. But the discord she’d sowed everywhere she went was rather hidden until this happened. Basically, she pitted everyone against everyone else. So we never talked to each other. No repercussions to any employees.
The second time the manager who wanted me gone and was doing her level best to make me quit was told to knock it off by upper management, because I was deemed a valuable employee. A few months later she was “promoted”, because she wouldn’t let it go. She stopped the campaign, but apparently in meetings she wouldn’t let it go, and I was deemed more valuable than the manager. Always thought that was funny that she kept telling me I drove to far to work which is one of the reasons why she thought I should quit and that’s what they did — they moved her closer to where she lived. A lateral move, but they threw in a VP title to make her happy.
It was banking. My husband worked in banking too, and once had a guy screaming at him over the counter “don’t you know who I am? I am a VP!“ To which my husband replied “who isn’t?” In banking, VP is a very notoriously overused meaningless title.
This describes my wife's deal. She has been a VP for 20-25 years now.
She has worked for some infamous people in the banking industry. Once was Chief of Staff for a very infamous person - that only lasted 2 years thank the LORD !
Now as she gets closer to retiring, she jokingly refers to herself as a VP of Powerpoint.
She cleans up the slides that people are trying to get the in front of the powers to be.
Pays very nicely and lots of perks, but it's a banking VP title.
It sure doesn't help your rep with the company. But it's not major, if this is the first time, and depending on the reason the employee gave, how long you've been w/the company, whether you're experienced or still learning, and the rep of the employee.
No matter how good a supervisor is, some employee at some time will not be happy w/him or her. Nothing is 100%. Just like a good business that sells to the public, there will always be a percentage who don't like that business.
Well? I’ve kind of been in the middle of this a couple of times. The first time the person went home and killed herself, which is kind of quitting. But the discord she’d sowed everywhere she went was rather hidden until this happened. Basically, she pitted everyone against everyone else. So we never talked to each other. No repercussions to any employees.
The second time the manager who wanted me gone and was doing her level best to make me quit was told to knock it off by upper management, because I was deemed a valuable employee. A few months later she was “promoted”, because she wouldn’t let it go. She stopped the campaign, but apparently in meetings she wouldn’t let it go, and I was deemed more valuable than the manager. Always thought that was funny that she kept telling me I drove to far to work which is one of the reasons why she thought I should quit and that’s what they did — they moved her closer to where she lived. A lateral move, but they threw in a VP title to make her happy.
It was banking. My husband worked in banking too, and once had a guy screaming at him over the counter “don’t you know who I am? I am a VP!“ To which my husband replied “who isn’t?” In banking, VP is a very notoriously overused meaningless title.
Maybe it was good for your business that she left, but please don't make light of suicide by saying "is kind of quitting".
I've been a Manager most of my career. I have never had anyone quit because of me. At least not that I'm aware of it. Even if they had, people don't always see eye to eye. As long as I knew I was doing my job properly and treating all fairly, I wouldn't care if they quit over me!
If you’ve spent any time in management, you’ve absolutely had someone quit “because” of you. It could just be that you held fast to a rule that was in place, or didn’t see the special snowflake they were - but I guarantee someone has said “CGab was the reason I quit”.
I could see a couple ways it could hurt you. The first is someone files a "flavor of the month" discrimination complaint against you. In that case it won't be so much a matter of right and wrong, but the cost/benefit of keeping you vs tossing you to the wolves as a sacrifice.
The other case would be if it becomes a repeat performance, esp if top performers are quitting one after the other. Once is random. Two is coincidence. Three is a trend.
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Solly says — Be nice!
