The mass resignations that have taken place in Parliament recently have seen many HR professionals reflect on how leadership should deal with loss of confidence in staff.
Kirstie Beattie, Employment Solicitor at employment law and HR support firm WorkNest, stated that the past few years of scandal in Parliament - ending with governmental chaos and the resignation of the Prime Minister - highlights the processes of managing employees’ departure from organisations.
She said:
“If a leader or senior person in your workplace has come under fire about their conduct over a long period of time and this has culminated in resignations from others, they may – as in the case of Boris at the start of the week – still be unwilling to accept their shortcomings so there is no guarantee that they will jump before they are pushed. Many will instead stick around to find out what, if anything, the employer might offer them to part company on mutually agreeable terms.”
She added:
“Despite what we see and hear about workplace issues in parliament and how they are handled, in the absence of a settlement agreement, employers must be careful not to exert too much pressure on an employee to resign. If an employee is left feeling they have no option but to resign because of the employer’s conduct, they might consider themselves constructively dismissed. If the employer has blatantly said ‘We want you to resign’, defending such a claim will be tricky.”
Helen Astill, Founder and Director of Cherington HR said:
“HR has been talking about the ‘great resignation’ - or the ‘great reshuffle’ - but what we hadn't realised was quite how excellent a demonstration the government was about to give us as to what chaos can be caused when large numbers of people suddenly resign, and how difficult it is for those remaining to continue and recruit extra people.”
Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director for Peninsula, also said that when multiple management-level staff members resign, “…the knock-on impact for those remaining can be devastating.”
She added that employers need to ensure that adequate measurers are in place to support employees who stay with the firm - including management of both their workloads and their personal wellbeing.
Sarah-Jane Last, Founder of the theworkpsychologists.com told Personnel Today that psychology in the workplace is one area that leaders need a degree of self-awareness - given that decisions and policies can be influenced by impulses that aren’t necessarily in the interests of the organisation.
