Why Celebrate Career Transitions?

This last month we had an associate announce she was leaving to focus on family and rethink her career direction. We responded to this announcement by celebrating the time we got to spend with her with a fun virtual happy hour and a silly digital card with photos and memories. While it always hurts a bit when a teammate leaves, I'm proud of the culture we have built and maintained at Diode that keeps the energy positive when a professional decides to move on and we are genuinely excited for her and her next adventure.

So why celebrate when an associate moves on? Doesn’t that cost you money in recruiting and create risk in your business?

Sure, but our cultural approach extends beyond just a cost question.

To begin, a good associate retention strategy is a great way to avoid unnecessary transitions for associates away from your business. At Diode, we give people the autonomy and trust to do their work (from anywhere they want to be) and we back it up with resources and in return ask for their best efforts, transparency and excellent communication. Still, we realize it’s a big, amazing world out there and try as we might, our company may not be the “forever fit” for some folks… and that’s ok!

Life changes over time.

New relationships, new business ideas, new obligations and new little humans that require a crazy amount of attention are all real events that need to be handled. Other times you really can’t tell what’s going on in someone’s life and they wish to keep it private. In all of these cases, the best thing business owners and managers can do is to make sure that the company celebrates the person and accept whatever their decision may be.

We’re all human and transitioning from one thing to another creates stress and the unknowns can be difficult to handle. When you genuinely appreciate someone for who they are and what they've contributed, making the transition easy for them, comes naturally and they won’t forget it.

Here are some reasons why celebrating someone and accepting their decision to move on vs. making it difficult and taking it personally always works out better:

1. How would you like to be treated when you leave a company? Call it Karma, but treating people like you would like to be treated on an exit is a good way to gauge how well you’re doing and what people will say about your business after they leave. The Golden Rule absolutely applies here.
2. It’s a small world. Just because an associate?may be leaving now doesn’t mean they won't "boomerang" back later. Keep the door open and know that even if they don’t come back, they will share about your brand in the market.
3. It’s more fun! Candidly, we are all just people trying our best to navigate this thing called life. Celebrating someone and their time at your company is a good way to send someone off on their next adventure!

In the end, transition is tough. Chances are that for all the same reasons you hired that person, will also be the same reasons that a person will be missed. Usually, these reasons don't just end at a professionals' abilities, but extend to their perspective, personality and shared experiences. At Diode, we like to do something special when an associate decides to move on like a departing happy hour a funny gift or card when someone leaves. It creates the ability for all of us to reflect on the ups, downs and funny stories that were shared during an associates’ tenure.

Remember - how you handle an associates’ exit is a reflection of your company and your culture.

How are you handling your associates’ transitions?