Ask them this same question and update your post - that would make a more holistic and interesting conversation.
Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
11–20 of 27 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#12I'm definitely not recommending this, but wouldn't it be awesome, up to their face, if YOU did offer your resignation?
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#13[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#14What cause have you provided to believe your empty assurances? They correctly foresee that engineering is likely to follow production in the name of communication and efficiency.
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#15There’s nothing you can do. Layoffs are a strong negative signal to employees for a number of reasons. If you don’t want people to quit, don’t do layoffs.
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#16Unless you want to internationally relocate to stay with this firm, I would assume that it is time to move on and leave this to someone else. Even if the firm has no intention of giving up the location, they also aren't going to be committed enough and keeping it will likely be a thankless battle.
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#17From a mixture of what you have said, with some reading between the lines:
* AU was originally head office + manufacturing + r&d.
* Then, head office was moved to the US (where the company president is now), but manufacturing + r&d were left in Australia. I would bet money that when this happened, there was an announcement of "don't worry, this is the only change we're making, all the other jobs are safe and everything else is staying the same!"
* Now, manufacturing is moving, but everyone else has "been assured that their jobs are safe".
Can you see the pattern? The 3 that have resigned so far can.
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#18Have you asked the 3 who resigned why? All of the things that you suggest may help, but if it turns out that they all hate US HQ or at least don't trust it and have mentally committed to jumping ship, it may be better to let them go. I've not seen good results from keeping people once they've passed that point.
Two got spooked and were nervous about their future with only 13 months tenure. The third is a senior dev with more than 10 years who’s disgruntled and convinced he’d only be kept on to tidy up loose ends and then discarded. Of the remaining engineers some have 18 months tenure and others 8 years.
To look at the bigger picture here, this is really the longtail of trust lost in companies due to excessive layoffs and clear consistent messaging that the employee is just a head that can roll when its convenient and cost effective.
The reaction of those 3 employees was my own, and when the culture is so clearly against you, and the company clearly doesnt have more than fluff words (across the org) to retain you, then the net sentiment has shifted strongly away from "trust the employer" to "the employer will screw me the first chance they get".
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#19When manufacturing was made redundant, how did you treat those workers? Smart money gets a resume together and finds another job now, while the IT economy is hot.
What can your company do to convince people to stay? Hire more (more than 3) engineers in Australia. If they plan to keep an engineering branch in Australia. If they are planning on closing it down ... You offer specific plans to the remaining people to stay until you close. So say, we will maintain an office and your employment for 6 months after we close the place, that will give you 6 months, on the clock, to find a new job.
Re: Ask HN: How to Deal with Multiple Resignations?
#20Have you asked the 3 who resigned why? All of the things that you suggest may help, but if it turns out that they all hate US HQ or at least don't trust it and have mentally committed to jumping ship, it may be better to let them go. I've not seen good results from keeping people once they've passed that point.
Two got spooked and were nervous about their future with only 13 months tenure. The third is a senior dev with more than 10 years who’s disgruntled and convinced he’d only be kept on to tidy up loose ends and then discarded. Of the remaining engineers some have 18 months tenure and others 8 years.
The company could put their money where their mouth is.
Are you truly being honest about keeping them on? Write up a contract that guarantees them X years of employment, at Y severance per month if terminated early.
More realistically, you should consider that the ones resigning have a better read on the situation than you do.