Usually, employees don't make the decision to quit a company and then walk out the door the same day. It's a big decision. There is often a time lag between an employee making the decision to leave an organization and when they actually make their exit. Our experience indicates that this time lag is usually anywhere from three to twelve months. It is during this time period that managers have a chance to address the turnover drivers that are pushing the employee out the door and, hopefully, turn the situation around.

Before they can move into action, however, managers need to recognize that an issue exists and an employee is at risk. By learning to recognize when an employee has "checked out", managers can take a more proactive role in limiting their employee turnover. When people become disengaged with their job there are usually changes in behaviour. Below are some signs to look for:

• Increased absenteeism
• Decreased productivity
• Decline in communications with manager and team members
• Withdrawal from the team and lack of participation, initiative
• Increased telephone conversations and outside meetings
• Increased criticism of the company, manager
• More/less vocal at team meetings
• Talks a lot about people who have left company

Recognizing the signs of a check out employee is an important step in taking action to retain top talent.