--- title: Signs an Employee is Going to Quit description: Rumors an employee is going to resign can spread like wildfire. 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- - - [whatsapp://send?text=https://blog.axcethr.com/rumors-of-resignation-signs-an-employee-is-going-to-quit](whatsapp://send?text=https://blog.axcethr.com/rumors-of-resignation-signs-an-employee-is-going-to-quit) - [mailto:?subject=Signs%20an%20Employee%20is%20Going%20to%20Quit&body=https://blog.axcethr.com/rumors-of-resignation-signs-an-employee-is-going-to-quit](mailto:?subject=Signs%20an%20Employee%20is%20Going%20to%20Quit&body=https://blog.axcethr.com/rumors-of-resignation-signs-an-employee-is-going-to-quit) ![Rumors of Resignation](https://blog.axcethr.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Rumors%20of%20Resignation.jpg?width=1200&name=Rumors%20of%20Resignation.jpg) Susan only told her coworker, John, she wants to quit her job, but now most of the office knows, including Susan’s manager. Office rumors can spread like wildfire, especially rumors of resignation. But what happens when those rumors are true? Can the employment relationship be saved?  One thing is certain, it pays to be at the forefront of employee engagement issues to prevent employee turnover issues from escalating to office gossip in the first place. Aside from rumors of resignation, there are certain telltale signs to look for that may indicate whether [the office gossip](https://blog.axcethr.com/yanking-out-the-grapevine-how-to-deal-with-gossip-at-work) is actually true and the employee wants to quit. If you know what the signs are, you may be able to change the course and prevent workplace rumors from taking hold in the first place, which often undermines productivity. Axcet HR Solutions Director of Human Resources Jeanette Coleman takes a deeper dive into this scenario and discusses how managers and small business owners should handle rumors or suspicions of employee resignations.  [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2652187/8464f1e1-8217-40ff-88cf-8b27df39128b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2652187/8464f1e1-8217-40ff-88cf-8b27df39128b) ## Signs an Employee is Going to Quit An attentive manager likely already has a hunch an employee wants to quit before the employee gets to the point of telling coworkers about their plans. While sometimes they can be completely caught off guard, these are general signs that may indicate the employee is going to quit: ### **1. New Attendance Pattern** Arriving late when the employee is always punctual is a red flag. As is leaving early, missing a lot of work and taking longer breaks. The individual could be attending job interviews, trying to use up PTO or becoming more disengaged. ### **2. More Personal Phone Calls** While there very well could be a family emergency, an uptick in personal phone calls could mean the employee is talking with potential employers. ### **3. Change in Work Habits** Missing deadlines, not speaking up at strategy meetings and failing to volunteer for new projects or long-term assignments are all signs an employee is going to quit. These are more pronounced if the employee has always been a hard worker. ### **4. Complaints About the Company** When a generally content employee starts complaining about policies, clients, bosses, coworkers or their workspace, something isn’t quite right. ### **5. Sudden Interest in Workshops** If the employee has never been interested in additional training, certification or workshops, but suddenly is working on expanding their resume, it may be a sign. Also, if you note they are building out their LinkedIn profile and gathering recommendations when their profile has been untouched for some time, it could be cause for concern.  ### **6. Avoids Company Events** When an employee is looking for a new employer, you may notice them missing from team building events, social events or even office luncheons. They may even become quieter and more secretive in general. [![how to deal with gossip at work](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2652187/ad78bb52-ce95-46d0-904e-bec64193408f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2652187/ad78bb52-ce95-46d0-904e-bec64193408f) Additional signs to look for include major life changes, a coworker who was also a friend left the company, the employee was recently passed over for a promotion or has stagnated in his role. While these signs indicate an employee is looking for a new employer, there is an overlap among signs of resignation and employee burnout. [Burnout occurs when](https://hrexecutive.com/burnout-is-soaring-during-covid-19-how-can-employers-help/) an employee has been highly engaged for a long period of time without the skills or support needed to maintain their wellbeing — and the rate at which employees are suffering from burnout has skyrocketed during COVID-19. In fact, [one software company surveyed employees](https://hrexecutive.com/burnout-is-soaring-during-covid-19-how-can-employers-help/) and found 42% suffered from burnout pre-pandemic. But amid COVID-19, that number jumped to 72%! Ultimately, burnout can lead to employee turnover. [Related: Know Before They Go: How to Ease the Pain of Employee Departures>>](https://blog.axcethr.com/know-before-they-go-how-to-ease-the-pain-of-employee-departures) ## **What to Do When You Hear Rumors of Resignation?** With the high cost of hiring, onboarding and training, it only makes sense to try to intervene and save the employment relationship. According to [Employee Benefit News](https://www.benefitnews.com/), companies spend 33% of a departing employee’s annual salary to hire a replacement. But before you venture down the path of doing anything and everything to stop the employee from quitting, you might ask yourself if the relationship is worth saving.  If it is a valuable, productive employee, it’s only natural to start throwing raises and perks at the individual to entice her to stay. Unfortunately, counteroffers may not be the ideal play in a situation like this. Instead, stay interviews, employee engagement surveys and exit interviews may help you make the changes necessary at your organization to increase your employee retention rate. [Related: How to Minimize the Impact When an Employee Quits Without Notice>>](https://blog.axcethr.com/how-to-minimize-the-impact-when-an-employee-quits-without-notice) ## **Counteroffers Only Provide a Temporary Solution** A study by [Robert Half](http://rh-us.mediaroom.com/2018-07-17-MORE-MONEY-SAME-PROBLEMS-Firms-Often-Counter-With-Higher-Salaries-to-Keep-Departing-Employees-but-Staff-Leave-in-Less-Than-2-Years-Anyway) found that, on average, employees who accept counteroffers from their current employer stay only an additional 1.7 years. That counts more as a temporary patch to the problem than a long-term solution. If you made a counteroffer to save time, money, and effort on hiring and training a new employee, notice in those 1.7 years you likely could have located a candidate who might have stayed with your business for much longer. Over a year and a half is more than enough time to train a new employee, too. In short, counteroffers are a bad bet. [Related: Why Counteroffers Fail and What Employers Should Do Instead >>](https://blog.axcethr.com/why-counteroffers-fail-and-what-employers-should-do-instead) ## **Stay Interviews, Employee Engagement Surveys and Exit Interviews: A Better Bet** - **Stay Interviews** are conducted on a regular basis with employees who have worked at your organization for a while. When conducting a stay interview, management should sit down with tenured employees and ask them about their reasons for staying. Follow this up with questions about what improvements they think your organization should make. Since these will be some of your most reliable, trustworthy employees, listen closely. They will help you identify what your organization is doing well, but also what might make another employee — or them — want to leave in the future. - [**Employee Engagement Survey**](https://blog.axcethr.com/benefits-of-conducting-an-employee-engagement-survey) data helps identify the causes of disengagement at your organization and potential reasons employees may leave. Once the data has been collected and analyzed it can be used to increase employee retention rates. Axcet partners with small and mid-sized businesses in the Kansas City metropolitan area to create, distribute and analyze employee engagement surveys that provide the type of results that makes improvement possible. - [**Exit Interviews**](https://blog.axcethr.com/why-exit-interviews-are-worth-it) can help you make positive changes in your organization and more effectively retain the employees who are still there. Departing employees can help you identify areas that need improvement, including management styles, morale, company strategy, marketing, operations, systems and the structure of their divisions. [![Axcet HR Solutions Employee Relations Solutions helping small businesses in kansas city and across the country](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2652187/interactive-189259369129.png)](https://blog.axcethr.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLISwkEgyKxi48wtEZRa6xSnL09NKVyneUWi7npeJMLUVXqoG5pB8CRd26RMz4GI0ZXvLhK1FOHV9aBeB8xHZkgkg%2F8VF6m8AgQ%2BqG5HsgaXlu2U1%2F1dTfgldOjxjaybWQG1oNNac%2B4mYABJwPFldZT2NLibGvVmx8RYYsnqhitmFREvAtn7UhSiLV5ofKsXOZL8Q41pD88%2BDIx05Yth6B0PKSL6AHwRwGV8mI8hFXtMbMnrfiboBlnIYqcRhbQWYexhfobSZM%2FUpmkZbZnsIowkFD%2FWKQy65qs6X5WPKueu8g%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=189259369129&portalId=2652187) ## **Request a Consultation with Axcet HR Solutions Today** Are you having employee retention issues at your small business? [Kansas City-based PEO](https://www.axcethr.com/about-us/) Axcet HR Solutions can help. From assisting small and mid-sized businesses with the creation of mission, value and vision statements to compensation analysis and succession planning, our team is here to help smaller organizations grow and thrive. Please [schedule a consultation](https://www.axcethr.com/schedule-consultation/) to learn more about these and other [Human Resources administrative support](https://www.axcethr.com/services/human-resources/employee-relations-consultant/) offered by [Axcet HR Solutions](https://www.axcethr.com). [![PEO small business employee benefits](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2652187/db22d902-d10d-4bc1-b684-4c8856b86c66.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2652187/db22d902-d10d-4bc1-b684-4c8856b86c66) [![Jeanette Coleman, SPHR & SHRM-SCP](https://blog.axcethr.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Jeanette-04.jpg?width=80&height=80&name=Jeanette-04.jpg)](https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman) Written by #### [Jeanette Coleman, SPHR & SHRM-SCP](https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman) Jeanette Coleman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Director of Human Resources at Axcet HR Solutions, where she has contributed her expertise for over 21 years. As a leader in the HR industry, she holds advanced certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Jeanette oversees HR strategy and operations, ensuring Axcet delivers exceptional HR services that help small and mid-sized businesses stay compliant and grow. With a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Keller Graduate School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Kansas State University, Jeanette is well-equipped to lead and support clients in navigating complex HR challenges. Throughout her 15-year tenure as Director of Human Resources, she has been instrumental in positioning Axcet as the Midwest’s largest and premier Professional Employer Organization (PEO). Her previous roles at Axcet include Director of Employee Benefits and Senior HR Consultant, where she gained extensive experience in HR outsourcing, and employee risk management. Jeanette’s expertise has been recognized through industry and regional publications. She co-authored the article “High-Touch in the Age of High-Tech: How PEOs Can Embrace AI Without Losing Their Humanity” (https://peoinsider.org/articles/high-touch-in-the-age-of-high-tech-how-peos-can-embrace-ai-without-losing-their-humanity/) for PEO Insider (March 2026), alongside Jo McClure, and was featured in Ingram’s Magazine in a Q&A (https://ingrams.com/article/qa-with-jeanette-coleman/) discussing generational change, technology, and workplace culture. These contributions reflect her perspective on balancing innovation with the human side of HR. Jeanette’s leadership reflects her deep commitment to helping businesses thrive through strategic, compliance-driven HR solutions. Through her writing, she shares insights on HR strategy, compliance, and best practices to help employers confidently manage their workforce. Published in: PEO Insider and Ingram's Read more [View all posts →](https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman) ### Get HR Updates ### Table of Contents ### Related Resources - [services Human Resources](https://www.axcethr.com/services/human-resources/) - [services recruitment & retention](https://www.axcethr.com/services/human-resources/recruitment-and-retention/) #### [How Much Should I Pay My Employees? ![how to pay employees in a small business](https://blog.axcethr.com/hubfs/how%20to%20pay%20employees%20in%20small%20business.jpg)](https://blog.axcethr.com/how-much-should-i-pay-my-employees) #### [![Jo McClure Axcet HR Solutions Director of Payroll Administration Kansas City](https://blog.axcethr.com/hubfs/Axcet%20HR%20Solutions%20Jo%20McClure%20Director%20of%20Payroll.jpg) How a PEO Helps Reduce Your Small Business Liability](https://blog.axcethr.com/how-a-peo-helps-reduce-your-small-business-liability) ## Let us know what you think... ![AxcetHR Blog](https://blog.axcethr.com/hubfs/AxcetHR2021%20Blog/axcethr_logo_white%20(1).png) - [Why Axcet](https://www.axcethr.com/why-axcet/) - [What We Stand For](https://www.axcethr.com/about-us/what-we-stand-for/) - [Expertise](https://www.axcethr.com/expertise/) - [Employee Benefits](https://www.axcethr.com/services/employee-benefits/) - [Human Resources](https://www.axcethr.com/services/human-resources/) - [Payroll Services](https://www.axcethr.com/services/payroll-and-tax-administration-services/) - [Risk Management](https://www.axcethr.com/services/workers-comp-and-employee-safety-risk-management/) - [Meet the Team](https://www.axcethr.com/about-us/meet-the-team/) - [Subscribe to Latest Resources](https://www.axcethr.com/subscribe-to-the-latest-resources/) - [Resource Library](https://www.axcethr.com/expertise/resource-library/) - [\[ Client Portal \]](https://www.axcethr.com/client-services/) - - - - - Search for: Copyright © 2023 Axcet HR Solutions – Kansas City's PEO Since 1988 | [Privacy Policy](https://www.axcethr.com/privacy-policy/) | [Terms and Conditions](https://www.axcethr.com/terms-conditions/) | [**Join our Team – Careers »**](https://axcethrsolutions.prismhr-hire.com/) 10975 Grandview Drive Suite 200, Corporate Woods Building 27, Overland Park, KS 66210 | Call us: 913-383-2999 *The IRS does not endorse any particular For more information on [certified professional employer organizations](https://www.axcethr.com/why-axcet/certified-peo/), go to [www.irs.gov](https://www.irs.gov).* Remove cookies ![](https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=43031&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jeanette Coleman, SPHR & SHRM-SCP", "url" : "https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman" }, "dateModified" : "2025-05-06T16:36:38.702Z", "datePublished" : "2021-09-29T14:15:00.000Z", "headline" : "Signs an Employee is Going to Quit", "image" : [ "https://blog.axcethr.com/hubfs/Signs%20an%20Employee%20is%20Going%20to%20Quit.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.axcethr.com/rumors-of-resignation-signs-an-employee-is-going-to-quit", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.axcethr.com/hubfs/_logo_axcethr_primary.png" }, "name" : "Axcet HR Solutions" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.axcethr.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Kansas City", "addressRegion" : "MO" }, "aggregateRating" : { "@type" : "AggregateRating", "bestRating" : "5", "ratingValue" : "5", "reviewCount" : "100" }, "areaServed" : { "@type" : "Country", "name" : "United States" }, "award" : [ "IRS Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO)", "Award-Winning HR Solutions Provider", "SHRM Certified HR Professionals", "HRCI Certified HR Professionals" ], "contactPoint" : { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "areaServed" : "US", "availableLanguage" : "English", "contactType" : "Customer Service" }, "description" : "Award-winning Professional Employer Organization (PEO) providing comprehensive HR solutions, payroll services, employee benefits, and risk management to small and mid-sized businesses. 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Office rumors can spread like wildfire, especially rumors of resignation. But what happens when those rumors are true? Can the employment relationship be saved? One thing is certain, it pays to be at the forefront of employee engagement issues to prevent employee turnover issues from escalating to office gossip in the first place. Aside from rumors of resignation, there are certain telltale signs to look for that may indicate whether the office gossip is actually true and the employee wants to quit. If you know what the signs are, you may be able to change the course and prevent workplace rumors from taking hold in the first place, which often undermines productivity. Axcet HR Solutions Director of Human Resources Jeanette Coleman takes a deeper dive into this scenario and discusses how managers and small business owners should handle rumors or suspicions of employee resignations. Signs an Employee is Going to Quit An attentive manager likely already has a hunch an employee wants to quit before the employee gets to the point of telling coworkers about their plans. While sometimes they can be completely caught off guard, these are general signs that may indicate the employee is going to quit: 1. New Attendance Pattern Arriving late when the employee is always punctual is a red flag. As is leaving early, missing a lot of work and taking longer breaks. The individual could be attending job interviews, trying to use up PTO or becoming more disengaged. 2. More Personal Phone Calls While there very well could be a family emergency, an uptick in personal phone calls could mean the employee is talking with potential employers. 3. Change in Work Habits Missing deadlines, not speaking up at strategy meetings and failing to volunteer for new projects or long-term assignments are all signs an employee is going to quit. These are more pronounced if the employee has always been a hard worker. 4. Complaints About the Company When a generally content employee starts complaining about policies, clients, bosses, coworkers or their workspace, something isn’t quite right. 5. Sudden Interest in Workshops If the employee has never been interested in additional training, certification or workshops, but suddenly is working on expanding their resume, it may be a sign. Also, if you note they are building out their LinkedIn profile and gathering recommendations when their profile has been untouched for some time, it could be cause for concern. 6. Avoids Company Events When an employee is looking for a new employer, you may notice them missing from team building events, social events or even office luncheons. They may even become quieter and more secretive in general. Additional signs to look for include major life changes, a coworker who was also a friend left the company, the employee was recently passed over for a promotion or has stagnated in his role. While these signs indicate an employee is looking for a new employer, there is an overlap among signs of resignation and employee burnout. Burnout occurs when an employee has been highly engaged for a long period of time without the skills or support needed to maintain their wellbeing — and the rate at which employees are suffering from burnout has skyrocketed during COVID-19. In fact, one software company surveyed employees and found 42% suffered from burnout pre-pandemic. But amid COVID-19, that number jumped to 72%! Ultimately, burnout can lead to employee turnover. Related: Know Before They Go: How to Ease the Pain of Employee Departures>> What to Do When You Hear Rumors of Resignation? With the high cost of hiring, onboarding and training, it only makes sense to try to intervene and save the employment relationship. According to Employee Benefit News, companies spend 33% of a departing employee’s annual salary to hire a replacement. But before you venture down the path of doing anything and everything to stop the employee from quitting, you might ask yourself if the relationship is worth saving. If it is a valuable, productive employee, it’s only natural to start throwing raises and perks at the individual to entice her to stay. Unfortunately, counteroffers may not be the ideal play in a situation like this. Instead, stay interviews, employee engagement surveys and exit interviews may help you make the changes necessary at your organization to increase your employee retention rate. Related: How to Minimize the Impact When an Employee Quits Without Notice>> Counteroffers Only Provide a Temporary Solution A study by Robert Half found that, on average, employees who accept counteroffers from their current employer stay only an additional 1.7 years. That counts more as a temporary patch to the problem than a long-term solution. If you made a counteroffer to save time, money, and effort on hiring and training a new employee, notice in those 1.7 years you likely could have located a candidate who might have stayed with your business for much longer. Over a year and a half is more than enough time to train a new employee, too. In short, counteroffers are a bad bet. Related: Why Counteroffers Fail and What Employers Should Do Instead >> Stay Interviews, Employee Engagement Surveys and Exit Interviews: A Better Bet Stay Interviews are conducted on a regular basis with employees who have worked at your organization for a while. When conducting a stay interview, management should sit down with tenured employees and ask them about their reasons for staying. Follow this up with questions about what improvements they think your organization should make. Since these will be some of your most reliable, trustworthy employees, listen closely. They will help you identify what your organization is doing well, but also what might make another employee — or them — want to leave in the future. Employee Engagement Survey data helps identify the causes of disengagement at your organization and potential reasons employees may leave. Once the data has been collected and analyzed it can be used to increase employee retention rates. Axcet partners with small and mid-sized businesses in the Kansas City metropolitan area to create, distribute and analyze employee engagement surveys that provide the type of results that makes improvement possible. Exit Interviews can help you make positive changes in your organization and more effectively retain the employees who are still there. Departing employees can help you identify areas that need improvement, including management styles, morale, company strategy, marketing, operations, systems and the structure of their divisions. Request a Consultation with Axcet HR Solutions Today Are you having employee retention issues at your small business? Kansas City-based PEO Axcet HR Solutions can help. From assisting small and mid-sized businesses with the creation of mission, value and vision statements to compensation analysis and succession planning, our team is here to help smaller organizations grow and thrive. Please schedule a consultation to learn more about these and other Human Resources administrative support offered by Axcet HR Solutions.", "author" : { "@id" : "https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman#author", "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jeanette Coleman, SPHR & SHRM-SCP", "url" : "https://blog.axcethr.com/author/jeanette-coleman" }, "dateCreated" : "2021-09-29", "dateModified" : "2025-05-06", "datePublished" : "2021-09-29", "description" : "Susan only told her coworker, John, she wants to quit her job, but now most of the office knows, including Susan’s manager. Office rumors can spread like wildfire, especially rumors of resignation. But what happens when those rumors are true? Can the employment relationship be saved? 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