When an employee quits, it can cause chaos in the office. This disruption is especially prevalent when that employee is part of the managerial team. It can be a scramble to find a suitable replacement after losing someone responsible for serving as a leader to the rest of your staff.
When a manager does decide to pursue other opportunities, it’s imperative to look at all your options for a replacement.
What to Do When a Manager Submits Their Notice
When an employee, manager or otherwise, submits their notice, it is more a courtesy than a requirement. The United States does not legally require notice, and employees can leave without further contact. However, if your manager has provided notice or timeline of their departure, you are in a stronger position to make an informed next step. You have a few options:
Convince Them to Stay?
Depending on the situation, the manager you are losing might be someone deeply valued professionally and personally to your staff. If this is the case, you might want to consider why this employee is leaving to begin with. Sometimes, the reason for an employee leaving, even a manager, cannot be reconciled. Be it disagreements with upper management, the company goals, or simply a poor work environment, some problems are not solvable.
In most cases, employees leave because they have received a better job offer elsewhere, giving them an opportunity for growth. In these cases, there is a possibility to win the employee back. However, this option’s viability depends on the resources you have to draw on to counter the opposing offer. In many cases, employees satisfied with their work environment will happily remain if offered a similar rate of pay or growth projection to the bid they received elsewhere.
Put Out a Listing
The most common practice for replacing management staff that has left is simply putting out a listing for the new opening to be filled by professionals looking for work. The listing you post will need to contain a comprehensive list of the required skills and abilities the employee must have and a description of what their responsibilities will be.
However, going this route will be one of the more expensive options. Job listing websites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and Monster require you to pay a fee as long as the listing remains up. This cost means you are spending money until you fill the position.
Use a Staffing Agency
Staffing agencies are likely the best option for replacing someone who left a management position behind. Staffing agents search for talent who meet the position’s requirements and offer protection against those looking to exploit the system and not do their work. Perhaps one of the most beneficial aspects of outsourcing hiring to a staffing agency is that they can update their search parameters based on updates from you. They also have access to an exclusive talent pool to find highly qualified candidates, resulting in a shorter wait.
Finally, using a staffing agency is ultimately cheaper. This lower cost is because they charge based on the need rather than the time it takes to find the employee. Additionally, contingent search options give companies a trial period to determine how effective the employee is before choosing to keep them on board.
Vector Technical Inc. Can Help You Find Your Next Manager
Finding a replacement for a manager is more challenging than replacing a regular employee due to the specialized hard and soft skills they need to succeed. However, it becomes a much easier goal to reach with a bit of assistance. At Vector Technical Inc., we offer staffing options for various clerical, technical, professional, industrial, and trade positions throughout Northeast Ohio. So, if your manager has left your company, contact us to help you find their successor.