Why Wait for a Resignation to Recognize Talent?
Recently, I had an eye-opening conversation with a high-performing team member who was leaving our organization. He posed an interesting question: “Why is it that only when someone resigns does the organization suddenly offer a better role or higher compensation?”
His question resonated with me, especially since he himself was a manager. So, I asked him, “Didn’t you try to retain two of your own team members recently by offering them increments?” He acknowledged that he had. Then I followed up, “If you knew they were top performers, why didn’t you differentiate them during the annual appraisal cycle?” That made him pause.
This exchange highlighted a critical point: Many managers overlook their responsibility in ensuring fair compensation. Too often, they assume that recognizing and rewarding talent is solely HR’s job. But in reality, evolved organizations empower managers to make these decisions. Annual salary planning and increments often come with budgets designed to allow managers to differentiate based on performance. Yet, some managers still choose to give similar raises across the board, contributing to wage disparities and eventual resignations.
This conversation was a reminder of the big role managers play in rewarding talent. As leaders, we should aim to retain talent proactively rather than as a reaction to a resignation letter. Fair compensation is a shared responsibility, and if we want our teams to feel valued, it’s on us to advocate for them consistently, not just as a last resort.
Let’s foster a culture where great work gets rewarded before it’s too late.
#Leadership #TalentManagement #FairCompensation #EmployeeRetention #HR
Medical Laboratory Technologist at Dr Lal PathLabs
1 周High performance person leaving job because of manager not value him. He/she speak less these why his work not highlight. Manager ask review from those employe who doesn't do anything and at the time of increment they start backbiting with manager and cut the increment of hard work employe that's why high performance employe have singal option resigned him self from the organization.
CHRO at Ummeed Housing Finance I Ex- Vistaar Finance | Ex- L&T Finance | Ex- Flipkart | Ex- Airtel
1 周Hi Sir, Thanks for these regular doses of insights and great perspectives.
Cluster Business Head at Pathkind Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd | North India Experience in Pathology, Diagnostics and Pharmaceutical Industries | Ex Merck | Ex GSK | Ex Cipla
1 周Couldn’t Resist from Replying. Dear Manoj Ji, Thank you for sharing such an insightful post—it holds relevance across many Indian organizations. Senior managers often face competing priorities and cost constraints, which can sometimes lead to delays in recognizing top talent. Unfortunately, this can result in valuable employees feeling overlooked and ultimately seeking acknowledgment outside the organization. When adjustments are finally made, it can create challenges, as it may trigger further expectations. Establishing a structured approach from HR to regularly recognize and reward high performers would be a valuable step in addressing this issue effectively. Regards
DGM -HR at Max Healthcare
2 周Great perspective sir ! But just want to add one point while we want managers to participate in talent identification and retention do organisation have culture and environment where manager recommendations will not make him biased or weak manager in eyes of leadership. Did organisation has those define parameters on the basis of which employee will be judged to retain or not. And last all we want from managers is well communicated to them not only in words, documents but also in actions by his managers and mentors.
Agilus Diagnostics
2 周Good insight