Your employees are watching and waiting...

Is your company sitting pretty? Execs out there might be sure that the one thing they don't have to worry about these days is turnover, but I am afraid they are sadly mistaken. There is something lurking in the shadows of their board rooms and break rooms. Although execs and HR directors may believe that, for once, they have the power- they determine who gets the pink slip, while no one else would dare quit in an economic climate like this one. This feeling of power and contentment is just a facade. Employees may not be leaving in droves of their own volition, but you can be sure that the second the economy starts to show signs of turning around, they will. Why? The reason is simple, but often overlooked.
They are watching. Employees are watching how many people you laid off and how they were treated. Were they treated with respect? Were they offered benefits and a nice severance package? Were their colleagues given a change to say a proper goodbye? Were efforts made to modify job descriptions so that jobs could be salvaged? Are they still connected to your company in some positive way? These former employees go out into the community (read: your constituents) and tell people about why and how they were laid off. This consequence is usually considered by HR directors in that they include a clause in severance packages about not slandering the company. What's often overlooked, however, are the impressions made on the current employees. These people are the eyes and ears of your organization- and they know much more than you think. They also keep in touch with former employees after comforting them while they pack up their offices. Walking out the door to a better or equivalent job may not be a readily available option today, but they're waiting. The next moment that the economy seems to turn around, these employees will search and find a company they think treats employees better. Maybe one that cuts other expenses or even exec salaries before administrative assistants, line workers, and middle managers. So if you're sitting pretty thinking you employees aren't going anywhere - think again. Someone is searching careerbuilder.com this very moment.