Managing Resignations with Grace - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Many managers dread when staff walk into their office and say, I need to talk with you about something. They fear that something will be a resignation and sometimes it is. In today’s workplace with nurse vacancy rates hovering around 10%, losing an experienced staff member can present significant staffing challenges. Even with these challenges, resignations should be managed with intention. A wise mentor once told me that a resignation should be viewed in some ways like a funeral. “How you behave – she observed – is a tribute not only to the person leaving but to everyone left behind.” I have always found this to be good advice. Once a staff member has made the decision to resign regardless of how inconvenient it is for you as the manager, how you behave says a great deal about you as a leader. It impacts how honest employees will be with you if they are considering other career opportunities and whether you are seen as someone who supports professional growth. Staff may choose to resign for many reasons, some of which you will have no control over. Leaders who feel that a resignation indicates disloyalty acquire a reputation as angry and vindictive.

Managing resignations with grace is an important leadership behavior. Your leadership behaviors should include the following:

Acknowledge their contributions and how they will be missed.
Ask if there is anything you can do to change their mind (If you want to).
Work with them on a transition date and any benefits they may be entitled to.
Keep the lines of communication completely open.

Your staff will carefully watch how you respond when someone leaves. Do you demonstrate grace and gratitude or do you behave in a way that seems angry and reactive? Ultimately for the good of your unit or department, you want your staff member feeling good about the workplace and ready to recommend it to others that might be interested. If you stay in your leadership role long enough, you may even be surprised at how many staff often return to their former positions when they find out the grass is not greener somewhere else.

Many employers now have very active strategies to stay in contact with staff who have left and invite them back. Nurse leaders who don’t already do this should strongly consider the five following ways that they can leave the door open for staff to return:

Before the staff member leaves, sit down with them and wish them the very best. End the conversation by saying that sometimes new positions don’t work out as well as we think they will and if this happens, please call me. Don’t ever bad mouth the new employer.
Leave a great last impression by giving them a going away party and thanking them for their contributions.
Ask to connect with the staff member on LinkedIn – this will give you access so you can see how they are progressing in their career and send congratulatory messages.
Don’t hold grudges against staff who leave and speak highly of them to their co-workers who probably do stay in touch with them.
Send holiday messages and if the staff member has had a major tragic life event – reach out.

How you manage staff who leave speaks volumes about your leadership. If you lose a staff member, keep in mind that it does not have to be forever. Great supportive nurse leaders are unfortunately in short supply but staff often don’t realize this until they leave so leave the door open.