One way to find out about how the workplace is running and what morale is like is to ask outgoing employees to speak with you candidly about why they´re leaving.

Questions to ask someone who is leaving in a debrief

• Do those who are leaving not feel challenged?
• Did the job require things of them they didn´t anticipate?
• Did they not see enough room for advancement?

The answers may provide clues for finding the right replacement. You´ll gain an understanding of the essential skills and personal qualities that a particular job requires and whether it should be a full-time, part-time or multiple-employee position.

Outgoing employees can also make suggestions about how to reshuffle the workload. Perhaps one chunk of the outgoing employee´s workload complements what another staffer is already doing, or maybe a current staffer is more suited to the position than someone you´d hire from the outside.