【中英双语】在优秀员工离职时如何为团队“打气”
How to Manage Morale When a Well-Liked Employee Leaves
by Liane Davey
It’s a dreadful moment when a well-liked member of your team tenders their resignation. You experience a cocktail of emotions ranging from fear about how the rest of the team will react, to frustration at having to add recruiting to your already hectic calendar. The worst is the lingering feeling of being rejected. As with most difficult situations as a manager, how you handle the resignation will affect more than just you. How you respond will influence whether the person’s departure becomes a typical bump in the road or the inflection point to a downward trend for your team.
收到深受爱戴的团队伙伴的辞职信真是太可怕了。此时，作为管理者，你一定会百感交集，既对团队其他成员可能出现的消极反应诚惶诚恐，又因为要在已经很繁杂的工作日程表上再增加招聘计划一事而感到挫败不已，最糟糕的还有那挥之不去的被抛弃感。像应对其他棘手问题一样，管理者对此事的处理方式影响到的不仅仅是自己。深受爱戴的员工离职，若处理得当，那就只是一块微不足道的小小绊脚石；若处理不当，将可能成为导致整个团队士气走上下坡路的转折点。
Before sharing the news with anyone, take some time to consider your response carefully. This allows you to grapple with your own reactions before you’re forced to manage those of your team members. If you move too quickly and try to communicate a positive message while harboring anxiety, frustration, or bitterness, those potent emotions will show through in your body language. When your words are positive but your body language telegraphs concern, your team will notice the incongruence and infer your intent from what you’re showing rather than what you’re saying.
先不要急着与任何人分享这则离职消息，而是花点时间充分思考一下你的处理策略。这样做的好处是，当你不得不面对团队其他成员可能作出的任何消极反应时，你自己已经基本整理好了自己的情绪。如果你在焦虑、挫败或是憎恨等负面情绪左右下仓促行事，那么即使你勉力传达一种积极的信息，你的肢体语言还是会不由自主地让那些强烈的消极情绪一览无余。当积极的言辞配上暗藏担忧的体语，这种不协调一定会被团队成员察觉到，他们会根据你的表现而非讲话内容来揣测你的想法。
Once you’ve reflected on your own reaction, you can work through a process that will minimize the damage of a well-liked team member resigning.
在仔细斟酌自己的情绪反应后，你可以通过一个系统化的流程将此事件所带来的破坏性控制在最低程度。
重视饯行过程
Start by helping everyone celebrate the person who is leaving. It’s understandable if you feel like downplaying the person’s departure, in hopes that no one will notice. It just isn’t likely to work. Losing a well-liked colleague will create concern and even grief for your team and invalidating that grief removes an important part of the process. Letting the person slip out the door unheralded will suggest that you don’t care. Don’t make the mistake of minimizing the moment.
首先帮助大家一道欢送离职者。你可能会希望轻描淡写地处理员工离职事件，以期淡化其消极影响——这是可以理解的，但这样做不大可能管用。失去一个深受爱戴的伙伴势必会给团队带来忧虑甚至伤感。在这个过程中，伤感是人之常情，视而不见意味着硬生生地取消了一个关键环节。淡化离职过程、让离职者悄然离去只会透露出你对团队成员的漠不关心，所以千万不要犯这样的错误。
Instead, be at the front of the “we’ll miss you” parade. Throw a party to wish the person well. Say a few words about some of the great things the person contributed to the team. Laugh about inside jokes and shared experiences because, as you do, you’ll not only make the person who’s leaving feel good about your team, you’ll strengthen the bond among the people who remain.
相反，你应该积极加入饯行的行列，站在前排，对离职者说：“我们会想念你的”；你应该策划一个欢送会，向离职者表达美好祝福，用积极的言辞肯定他对团队做过的贡献；你应该重温一些内部笑话及共同经历，并为此开怀大笑。这样做，不仅会让离职者对团队感觉良好，也会增强团队其他成员之间的凝聚力。
Recalling these stories will also put a smile on your face, which is much better than the look of terror that might be associated with your inner voice that’s saying, “What will we do without her?” or “What if others start to follow suit?” That face will only make your team more nervous when they’re looking to you for reassurance. Your words and body language should convey that it’s normal and natural for people to move on.
回忆这些往事也将让你展露笑颜，这要远胜于一脸恐慌。你的一脸恐慌可能会让人觉得你心里在想“没有了他我们可怎么办？”或是“万一其他人也跟着离职怎么办？”而这只会让团队氛围变得更为紧张不安，因为大家原本指望能从你这儿获得“定心丸”。离职是件很正常也很自然的事情，你的言辞和体语需要传达出这样的理解与豁达。
Once you’ve thrown the party the person deserves, ask them for a favor in return — their candor about what you need to learn from their departure. Even if your organization has a formal third-party exit interview process, conduct your own interview. Ask the person to be honest with you as part of the legacy they can leave in making you and the team better in the future. Prepare your questions carefully and get ready to take the lumps.
离职者欢送会结束后，你可以诚挚邀请离职者顺便帮个忙——请他坦率地告诉你，你需要从他的离职案例中得到什么启示。即使你的公司有正式的第三方离职面谈流程，你依然可以以自己的身份去做离职面谈。请他直言相谏，留下宝贵的意见和建议，使你和团队在未来做得更好。认真准备你的提问，进入虚心接受批评的状态。
发起深层次沟通
You’ll need to have good questions and follow-up prompts to get past the pat answers such as “I was offered higher compensation” and “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.” You need to identify what factors contributed to the person taking the call from the recruiter in the first place. You can make these questions less pointed by asking, “What advice would you give me to prevent another great person like you from taking a call from a recruiter?” “What do I need to know that people aren’t telling me?” “How could I improve the experience of working here?” By making the questions more generic and less personal, the departing employee might feel more inclined to share any uncomfortable truth.
你需要为面谈设计出高水平的问题并准备好一些关键提示语，以便进入深层次沟通，否则你可能只得到蜻蜓点水式的回答——如“新工作给的报酬更高”和“这是一个我无法拒绝的机会”。你需要确定最初是哪些因素使得离职者接了招聘人员的电话。你可以委婉地问：“你有什么好的建议帮助我不再让你这样的优秀伙伴被招聘人员的电话挖走吗？”“还有哪些事是我需要注意的呢？”“我需要做些什么来改善团队的工作体验呢？”这些一般化而不太涉及个人的问题也许会让离职者更愿意分享那些触及本质的逆耳忠言。
You can also seek feedback about things beyond your control, such as, “What other messages does the company need to hear?” “What factors would contribute to a better experience here?” Throughout the discussion, your emphasis should be on asking great questions. Do as little talking as possible and instead, listen carefully and objectively.
你还可以就你无法控制的事情寻求反馈，如，“公司管理层还需听取哪些意见反馈？”“哪些因素能够让团队成员获得更好的工作体验？”整个面谈过程中，你自己应该尽量少发言，你的重点应该是提出一些高水平的问题，然后认真、客观地倾听。
After the exit interview, your head will be full of powerful, sometimes conflicting thoughts and feelings. Give yourself a night to sleep on it and then start the process of putting your insights into action. First, lean into the uncomfortable conversations. Whether one-on-one or in team meetings, dig into any themes that have merit. Share your hypotheses and ask people to clarify, refine, validate, or challenge how you’re thinking.
离职面谈结束后，你的脑中会充斥着各种强烈而有时又会是相互矛盾的想法和心情。你可以用一个晚上的时间好好消化，第二天再着手将某些富有见地的想法付诸行动。首先你得“硬着头皮”找团队成员谈心，不管是一对一的交谈还是团队会议，你们要针对任何有价值的主题进行深入探讨。你可以开诚布公地谈谈你的设想，让大家对你的思路进行梳理、提炼、验证，甚至提出质疑。
For example, you could say, “I’m coming to understand that the biggest problem is not the workload, but the lack of focus. What do you think? Is it true, false, or only half the picture?” This process of generating and testing hypotheses will not only help you make the most targeted changes, it will also help you strengthen the connection with your remaining team members.
例如，你可以说，“我渐渐明白了，最大的问题不是工作量，而是把握不住工作重点，你觉得呢？我说对了没有，或者只说对了一半？”这种形成和检验设想的过程不仅仅能帮助你有的放矢地做出改变，也会帮助你增强与团队其他成员的连接。
了解他们的真实感受
As you listen to their responses, go beneath the facts and information they’re sharing with you and watch and listen for what they are feeling and what they value. Where does their language become stronger (e.g., “we always do this,” or “never do that”), suggesting that they are frustrated or angry. Where does it become weaker (e.g., “I guess we…, or “I think sometimes we might”), hinting that they might feel hesitant or powerless. What is their body language telling you? When you spot an emotional reaction, ask a few more questions to understand what’s beneath their feelings.
在倾听回答时，你需要深入揣摩他们与你分享的事实和信息。认真观察倾听他们的感受，了解他们重视的东西。注意他们语气的变化，例如“我们总这样做”或“我们从不那样做”这样的强烈措辞往往表明他们很沮丧或很生气；相反，“我猜我们……”或“我想我们有时或许……”这样的委婉语气则暗示他们可能感到犹豫或无能为力。同时还要关注他们的肢体语言传达的信息，当你注意到某个情绪反应，可以追问一些问题来帮助你了解他们的真实感受。
Through all of these conversations, try to discern whether one great person resigning was a single point or the start of a pattern. Be open about what you can do differently and advocate for the changes from other stakeholders that will make your team a better one to work on.
试着通过这类对话去辨别这起离职事件仅仅是个孤立事件还是一个恶性循环的开端。对潜在的整改持开放态度，并倡导其他利益相关者也作出一些利于团队优化的积极改变。
The insights you glean from conducting your own exit interview and testing your hypotheses will be valuable, but don’t lose sight of the most important ways that you contribute to the morale of your team — by positioning them to do meaningful work. Double down on the management essentials. Make sure everyone is clear on your expectations, especially on the highest (and lowest) priorities for the team. Have frank conversations to ensure people feel like they have the requisite skills and resources to do their jobs well. And pay more attention to the feedback, coaching, and celebrations that will motivate them and keep them engaged.
在离职面谈以及与同事检测自己设想的过程中获得的洞见诚然是极其珍贵的，但要切记提升团队士气的最重要方式是让团队致力于有意义的工作。在管理重点上加倍投入，确保每个人都明确你的期望，尤其是有关团队的最高（及最低）优先级事项。坦率的对话能够让团队成员觉得自己拥有必要的技能和资源将工作干好。同时，要更加注重反馈、指导和庆功，这将激励他们持续保持积极、敬业的状态。
If there was a problem on your team you were unaware of (or trying to ignore) it might take losing a well-liked employee for you to recognize the severity of the issue. Work through your emotions and then start a virtuous cycle by celebrating the departing employee, seeking their candid feedback in an exit interview, forming and testing hypotheses about how to improve your workplace, and making meaningful changes that make your team feel heard and valued. Losing one team member might end up being a relatively low price to pay if it leads to better morale all around.
如果团队出现了问题而你一无所知或刻意忽视，你也许要在失去一位深受爱戴的团队成员时才会意识到问题的严重性。你需要整理好自己的情绪，然后为团队建设开启一个良性循环。具体而言，你需要欢送离职员工，通过离职面谈寻求坦诚的反馈，形成并检验旨在改善团队环境的设想，然后作出有意义的改变，让团队成员感到存在感和价值感。如果能借机全面提升团队的精气神，那么失去一名团队成员最终只是付出相对较小的代价。
利亚妮·戴维是3COze公司的联合创始人，著有《团队领航：团队成长、协作、执行》(You First： Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done)一书，也是《领导力解决方案：跨越领导力鸿沟之路》(Leadership Solutions： The Pathway to Bridge the Leadership Gap) 的共同作者。
