Three Signs to Know When It’s Time to Let Go

We all know that turnover in the office is not only expensive but it taxes everyone on the team. Putting time and energy into training team members is a forever work in progress but when we have to start from the beginning… ugh! Regardless of how much we dislike it, turnover is something we all go through…it is a part of business. The strain and anxiety of this process can cause many of us to put off letting go of employees that really don’t fit into our practice. We simply just don’t want to deal with it. So, I ask you this…what’s truly more arduous… hanging onto wrong team members and dealing with the deleterious and detrimental ramifications that go along with that or just recognizing when it’s time to let go and move on? Given my experience, I would much rather be able to recognize when it’s time to move on and do so, rather than to let a bad situation fester and degrade our work atmosphere and performance. If someone is caught stealing or lying, these are obvious indications that this person is not going to work out; however, sometimes the offense is much more subtle. As leaders, we need to be able to identify this subtlety because much like a drop landing in a calm pool of water, it will cause a slow but definite ripple effect.

Here are 3 signs that can help guide you as to when it’s time to let go:

1. Negative and Reactive Responses. Whether it’s directly in what a person says or through their body language, negative or reactive responses do not belong in the work place. No matter what personal problems people carry, those issues should be left at the door before they walk into the office. It’s important to be their for one another, but do it without taking frustrations out on each other. I’ve seen this frequently happen with teams that have been working with together for a long period of time and start to get too “family like”. There is a difference between a team that’s open and close to one another verses people dumping emotional weight onto others. WE all deserve to work in a atmosphere full of positive energy and proactive attitudes. This is what creates good synergy.

2. Apathy. If each team member truly shares the same mission, that means there is value in what they do and with value comes a sense of passion. Passionate people are not just coming in for a paycheck, they care about what they are doing and are present their actions. Apathetic people gain their energy by quietly draining the energy from all the other wonderful people around them, including you!

3. No integrity. I’ve always believed that integrity defines what we really are. If you say your going to do something, then do it genuinely and honestly. If people can’t keep their commitments and this routinely happens, let them go. Keeping employees like this sets a bad precedence and inconsistency for the rest of the team. It’s not right for everyone else to pick up the slack. As a business owner and for your team, you need to know that you can rely each individual to honor their commitments. I realize that leaders are not robots, we have hearts. For the sake of your business and your peace of mind, my advice is to remember that it’s not personal…it’s business.

You deserve to work with a team that completely supports you and your mission, this should be a mutual concept and never one sided.