Turnover an opportunity for learning, improvement

Many managers and business executives have faced the uncomfortable task of removing key employees from a position within an organization.

While never a pleasant situation, the removal of the employee is usually justified as needed for the betterment of the workplace.

These managers have become adept at following personnel policies and protecting the rights of the individual and the company.

Those who have successfully handled such decisions in the past may now be shocked at the difficulties facing them today when they eliminate said key employee.

These difficulties all center on finding the proper replacement individual from the assets available in today's workforce.

In other words: Good luck! Replacing people in a tight labor market often means choosing from different generations with different work values than those held by the former employee or employee's manager.

The replacement person will usually not bring the same history,work experience or vision to the job and if from a different generation, probably a completely foreign (to the manager) work outlook.

But is that good or bad? Obviously, it depends on whether you are the manager or the new key employee.

The employee with the challenge to fill the open position has the opportunity to shape the future of the organization and if failure occurs, can always move on to the next company in need of such skills.

The manager usually sees the events as negative.Replacing a key employee causes loss of organizational history, demands time to be spent in training and probably causes a rise in errors and mistakes.Not comfortable situations.

And yet, replacing such people offers management many opportunities for even greater success.

For example, the decision to replace a key employee is made on a perceived viewpoint that company goals are suffering at the hands of that employee and therefore the newly established replacement will not hamper the company in the same manner.

That is good.

Another benefit of this event is the opportunity to examine everything expected of the previous employee.

Is all of that necessary or was it an ancient history that should be abandoned? Has the organization outgrown previously established polices and procedures that the old employee held near and dear? Answers to these questions will automatically shape the position for the new individual.

In preparation for interviewing a key employee replacement, it is necessary for the executive to reassess the company needs and desires.Have business advancements occurred so that some parts of the job can be outsourced at less cost? Can any functions be automated? Can the opening in this position be consolidated with other positions? What exactly should the position provide the organization? Once these questions and others are satisfactorily answered, the manager will then be ready to seek the replacement.

In preparation for interviewing candidates, the manager must honestly update interview techniques.What was used yesterday brought the key employee that is no longer part of the organization.Managers must not be comfortable in the old methods because they will result in hiring the same problem as before.

Being uncomfortable with new interviewing techniques will sharpen a manager's thought processes.

During the selection process, the manager must be prepared for individuals who challenge current thinking.

Those being interviewed are seeing the described position from a totally different perspective.

They hear what is being said and want to give input even before the job is offered.

Today's younger worker is not hesitant to speak out and views a job as just part of life not life itself.

Their ideas may not be entirely new merely repackaged but they seem new to them.When they bring a completely new thought processes to a job, the organization benefits even more.

Successful managers will be open to suggestions and new ideas from the replacement worker.

They will change their attitude and learn from others.

Some will see the new individual as giving the company a competitive edge in its market because the job will not continue to be done as it always was previously.

Executives will change training techniques because the new person truly does not want to hear how it has always been done but wants to know how to do it better.

All of the above only works when there are individuals available for managers to interview and in today's tight labor market it may appear that keeping a poorly performing key employee is preferable to finding a qualified replacement.

Fortunately, the northern Nevada labor pool offers many excellent candidates for all industries.

You may have to work hard to find them however.

To ease that work, consider all options rather than relying on the old past methods.

Key job positions should be listed in the local newspapers (both print and online versions), on company websites, in local and national online job banks, at the JobConnect, and through word of mouth with current employees (if they enjoy working for a company why wouldn't their friends?).Managers should utilize the no-fee JobConnect pre-screening services and training functions to insure the broadest possible exposure to attract people that can meet company needs.

Managers must remember that even though it seems difficult to make these changes, the benefits of change far exceed keeping a nonperforming key employee.Once the position has a new individual with the corresponding new feel and look, and once the manager has survived the trauma of replacement the reward will come with the realization that things really are better and the former employee's name is rapidly fading from memory!

Tom Fitzgerald is chief executive officer of Nevadaworks.