Should I stay or should I go?

Earlier this week, I met with a candidate who is currently working within the subsidiary of a UK Bank. He came to see me to seek advice on whether he should stay with his current employer or move on. Since the beginning of the year, he has had four different bosses and is now, understandably, feeling less than confident about the future direction of the business. Following a restructure at the end of last year, the business appointed boss #1. Boss #1 never really wanted the job and was simultaneously interviewing with other companies. He left three weeks into the role. Enter boss #2 who had been the second choice from the original recruitment process. However, as he had been initially rejected for the job, he had started interviewing externally and, four weeks after joining, he also resigned. Boss #3 only lasted two weeks as, apparently, was not very good. Boss #4 is in place and doing well. Fingers crossed.

Surprising as this may sound, this is not an isolated case. Following a number of mergers and restructures recently, companies are increasingly trying to place internal candidates into newly created roles. This is of course, the best option for the employer. However at times, the appointed candidate doesn’t really want the role but has no choice but to accept against the alternative of redundancy and facing the uncertainty of the current job market. Employers looking to retain talented individuals may place them into roles which are not really suited to their strengths with a view to move them on into other roles once market conditions improve. There is a shortage of talent out there and this is an obvious way of retaining high performers within the business.

Whilst this is the usually the best option for the employer, the best thing the business could do for the individual is to explain that the most suitable role for them may in fact lie outside of the current company and allow him/her to seek pastures new. I am sure we all know of employees who have returned to a previous employer when the relationship had ended on good terms.

Another option is to seek a second opinion. We are often asked by clients to interview internal candidates to benchmark them against each-other and the external market. This process is very thorough but offers a quick turn around and adds huge value to aid a final decision.

This is why it is so important that individuals who do resign do so in a professional manner. First of all, if the role you are offered is not the one you really want, be honest and explain why. In the current market climate, it is understandable that some individuals may accept a less than perfect job offer, rather than face redundancy. If communication between employer and employee is open and honest, the less than perfect role could be moulded into something more appealing. Most employers understand that it is costly to replace good employees, and will do what they can to retain them. Talking with your boss about why you are dissatisfied may lead to a solution.

If you do resign, offer to stay and help find a replacement. Do not leave the business on a bad note, you never know what’s around the corner………


Marcello Mosca
Head of Practice - Financial Services
+44 (0)20 7333 1425
marcello.mosca@harveynash.com

April 21, 2009 04:26 PM | Permalink