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Careers & workplace advice from Hays

Every day, many people around the world make the brave and exciting decision to leave their current employer in pursuit of a new challenge. It’s an inevitable part of the world of work. However, despite this, hiring managers are often left in a state of shock or even panic when a member of their team hands in their notice unexpectedly.

So, as a hiring manager, what can you do to pre-empt this feeling and plan accordingly? From my experience, there are a number of signs which could indicate a member of your team may be looking elsewhere. As such, I’ve outlined a few of these below.

Admittedly, whilst these signs may not mean much in isolation of one another, I would say a combination of these behaviours is a strong indicator that a member of your staff is about to jump ship, and it’s time to start preparing.

1. They’re using their personal phone more often

If your employee is frequently disappearing outside to speak on their personal phone, or they seem to be using it more often than usual during work hours, then I would class this as one of the signs that they may be speaking to a recruiter or hiring manager. However, I do urge you not to jump to conclusions here – there may be something happening in their personal lives, which requires them to use their phone more. Just keep an eye on how often this happens, especially if it is affecting how productive they are being. And, this brings me onto my next point.

2. Their performance has slipped

Sometimes when an employee can see an end in sight, they tend to clock off mentally, which will inevitably impact on their performance and productivity. This will be evident in their level of involvement during meetings, and whether they seem to be paying less attention or contributing fewer ideas than before. You should also keep an eye on the quality and output of work they are producing.

3. Their attendance has dropped

Is your employee starting to get into the habit of leaving early or turning up late? Are they requesting random days off in the middle of the week at short notice? This is a common clue that they’re going to interviews.

4. They are acting non-committal

If this member of the team won’t commit to future projects or stays quiet during conversations surrounding these, I would suggest that this is because they know they won’t be there to see them through.

5. They are turning up to work looking smarter than usual

Your employee may be arriving to work dressed more formally than usual. If this is the case, then they may well have had an interview that morning, or will have one lined up for their lunch break or after work. This is more than likely to be the case if they normally turn up looking fairly casual.

6. They are more active on LinkedIn

Have you noticed this team member updating their profile, getting involved in more conversations, connecting with more people, and even asking for recommendations on LinkedIn? If so, chances are they are using LinkedIn as part of their job searching process. It’s just a shame that they don’t know how to keep their activity hidden from your news feed.

7. They are distancing themselves

If this employee is acting more distant, whether it’s avoiding work social occasions, or simply making less conversation with colleagues, then this could be an indication that they’re starting to disengage with the team, and almost starting to prepare to leave mentally. Again, this could be put down to their personal matters, so always check that everything is ok with this individual in terms of their wellbeing before you presume that their behaviour is work related.

8.They recently asked for something (and didn’t get it)

Whether it’s a pay rise, promotion or training course, this employee, for whatever reason, may have just been refused one of their requests. This may have left a bitter taste in their mouth, and prompted them to look elsewhere. If any of the above behaviours follow a situation where they asked for something and didn’t get it, then I would say it’s safe to consider that this employee may be looking to leave.

Don’t jump to conclusions

Remember that the above signs are also an indication that this employee is simply unhappy, whether it’s personal or work-related, and are not looking for another job at all. You may just need to check in with them to get the full story and find out if there is anything you can do to help. If this conversation doesn’t provide any explanation as to why this employee is acting differently, and you still believe they are looking elsewhere, start to brace yourself practically (and emotionally) for the moment that resignation letter lands on your desk.

What next?

If this employee does decide to explore pastures new, then start working with an expert recruiter on your hiring strategy, from what the job description will include, to the types of questions you will ask. You may also find the below blogs useful during the hiring process:

Whether it’s tips on handling a heavy workload or coping with office distractions, it’s safe to say that advice on how to be more productive at work is just about everywhere you look online.

However, what I would like to talk about in this blog is how, as a business, your focus on improving the productivity of your workforce can and should start with the interview process.

I don’t need to tell you that recruiting employees who are ambitious and self-motivated is one of the golden tickets to an effective workforce. But is there a way you can measure for these productivity indicators in the interview room? The good news is that there is, and it involves asking the right questions:

1. How would you describe a typical working day in your current role?

It is one of the most commonly asked interview questions, but only a small portion of hiring managers ask this question with the objective of measuring productivity.
What you really need to be looking out for as you ask this question, is whether the candidate has a clear structure to their day. People who can structure their day, and assign certain routines and processes in place, are usually the most productive. For instance, many people will spend the first 10-20 minutes of their morning responding to emails and planning their day ahead.

2. How do you prioritise your tasks?

Productive and self-managed candidates will usually have their own system for prioritising their tasks, which will include 1. Deciding what to complete straight away, 2. What to add to a to-do list and 3. How they prioritise the tasks on this to do list.  However, if the candidate struggles to answer this question, or fails to include any of the above points, then chances are they are not used to prioritising their own workload, therefore won’t be as productive in making sure it gets completed.

3. How do you focus in a distracting environment?

In an age where our phones don’t stop buzzing and our desktop alerts don’t stop popping up, it can often be hard to focus on the task at hand. This can be even harder if you work in a busy environment with multiple conversations happening across the room at once, or if you have a lot of conflicting responsibilities and demands. Workplace distractions are the biggest hindrance to productivity. Ask your candidate how they respond to these distractions.

Productive employees will have certain techniques which help them to focus, whether it’s working in 90-minute blocks, focusing on one task at a time, and making a conscious effort not to get distracted by office chatter. They will also know that regular breaks, keeping hydrated and eating properly are all conducive to productivity and focus.

4. Tell me about a time when you reached a goal

Another productivity pointer will be whether the candidate refers to results and outcomes in their interview answers. Certain interview questions will give the candidate the opportunity to do this, for example, “can you talk about a time when you reached your goal?” or “what’s your biggest achievement?” A candidate who can talk extensively about the tangible results of their hard work will likely be a candidate who makes the best use of their time because they constantly have the end goal in mind.

5. Can you tell me about a time that you took initiative?

As our CEO Alistair Cox explains in a recent blog, companies should be hiring employees who take the initiative and feel confident in introducing their own ideas. These are the types of employees will take the initiative to think about new and better ways of doing things, for the sake of improved productivity and output. Can this interviewee describe a time that they drove forward a positive change which improved efficiency and results within the business?

6. How do you maintain a work-life balance?

The above answers should give you an insight into whether the candidate knows how to make an efficient use of their time. As contrary as it may seem, workaholics do not make for productive employees. Whilst there may be times that working extra hours is necessary, most of the time, working smart and not hard is the key to productivity. If the candidate has a good work-life balance, then they too will have the approach of working smart, not hard, and will be able to talk about their hobbies, interests, social life and how they switch off from work.

Productivity should always be high on the agenda when it comes to your hiring criteria for a candidate, after all, an efficient member of the team can make a big difference to the team dynamic and output.

Whilst you can never fully know how a candidate will perform in the role, until you have actually hired them, you can get a good insight into how productive they would be by asking the right questions. For more advice on how to hire the best talent, check out some of our other blogs:

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