As the Great Resignationâthis mass departure of people from their jobsâcontinues to hold the spotlight, you might be asking yourself: What happens to me if I don’t quit?
Iâve had countless conversations recently with people who are suddenly feeling lonely, uncertain, and overwhelmed as they watch colleagues depart. Theyâre questioning their own decision to stay. Theyâre missing colleagues and friends as they go. And theyâre afraid of being overwhelmed by the work thatâs falling off those departing plates.
So, if youâre one of the many being left behind, letâs talk about how you can take care of yourself and use this moment to your strategic advantage.
Give space to your feelings
I started my last full-time Human Resources job at the beginning of 2008â¦with a financial services companyâ¦as the market was crashing and burning.
Suffice it to say, by the end of my first year, 15% of my colleagues had been let go. And while layoffs are very different in nature from voluntary resignations, the experience for those left behind can be extremely similar.
The sudden lonelinessâthe loss of trusted friends, mentors, thought partners, and collaboratorsâreally changed the whole tone and climate of work. Things got a little mopey around the office. But we were indeed in an office. So, for those of us left behind, leaning on each other as a community and processing our feelings together was reasonably easy to do.
Todayâs world is different. So many of us continue to work largely or exclusively virtually, which makes those natural points of human connection rarer. You need to find the moments for yourself.
What are you feeling as you watch colleagues leave? Lonely? Anxious? Self-doubting? The key is to share those feelings with someone or ones that you trust. Check in with a remaining colleague, share your experience, and ask how theyâre doing. Find support in those who are hanging back with you. And know that whatever youâre feeling is totally valid.
Be the stability hero
The thing about people leaving is that while the number of people doing the work has changed, often the expectations and workload for the remaining team members have not.
If your boss is anything like mine was, theyâre panicking. Theyâre watching institutional knowledge, experience, and sets of hands walk out the door. And with all of the balls in the air, theyâre terrified one will drop.
This is your moment to step in and be a hero. How can you show up as a point of stability for your boss, ensuring them that something critical is not going to fall through the cracks?
This is not about picking up all the slack your exiting colleagues have left behind. Itâs about being a point of continuity.
During my moment in 2008, my team had been managing several training programs being delivered by outside vendors. As my colleagues began departing, I knew my boss was anxious about the stability of these programs. So, I offered to step in and become the single point of contact for all the vendorsâthe one-stop shop for any questions, concerns, or challenges that might arise.
I watched the color return to my bossâs cheeks when I tossed this idea out there. Notice, I wasnât offering to take on a volume of work but was just offering to step in and keep the train on the tracks. And in a moment of departures, this offers a value thatâs hard to measure. And of course, it earns you points for the future.
So, whereâs your bossâs highest anxiety, and how might you offer to play a supporting role without adding volumes to your plate?
Reassess priorities
Question everythingâevery hour spent in a meeting, on a dashboard, revising slides, etc. Every hour of expenditure counts here.
Please do not mistake taking on everyoneâs left-behind work as an act of heroics. Itâs frankly the least strategic move you can make. Instead, demonstrate your commitment to impact and your critical thinking skills to your boss by identifying the most critical priorities and putting those above the rest.
Share a planâjust some ideas. And invite your boss to weigh in. Where can you win time back by opting out, by postponing a deliverable, by collaborating or repurposing something?
Find your development gold
When people start leaving, projects and opportunities get left behind. And while you do need to protect yourself from mindlessly taking on extra work, youâre welcome to seek out a hot opportunity and make a land grab.
What have you been wanting or needing for your own professional development? Did someone leave behind a hole youâd like to fill?
Have you been wanting to grow your project or people leadership skills? Have you wanted to get a little closer to a particular client? Have you been seeking an opportunity to present to an executive?
Scan the left-behind projects and commitments, and cherry-pick something that serves your own development. You deserve an opportunity to grow from this!
Renegotiate something
To be blunt, you have leverage here. Your boss canât afford to lose you right now. Iâm not suggesting you do or say anything untoward (like âgive me a 20% raise or Iâm leavingâ), but I am suggesting this is a prime moment in which to ask for something.
In 2008, there was a particular training I wanted to attend. In a respectful way, I broached it with my boss, like this:
âNow that our team is smaller and mightier than before, I believe that by attending this training and building the skill itâs teaching, Iâll be in a much stronger position to ensure our impact stays high!â
It was my subtle attempt to say (without actually saying), âheyâmy success matters more to you now than ever⦠so hereâs something you can do to ensure that Iâm able to keep you in a winning zone.â
So now itâs your turn. Whatâs something you can negotiate out of this situation?