How to spot when staff are thinking about leaving
Liam Jones
Founder of Pilla
Date Modified
27 August 2026
I'm Liam Jones, founder of Pilla and a qualified management consultant. I've helped hundreds of businesses set up workflows, and in this article I'm going to show you four practical ways to spot staff concerns before a resignation is the first clear signal.
I'll cover regular one-to-ones, anonymous feedback, a recurring pulse and manager alerts. None predicts who will leave, but each can give a manager a reason to start the right conversation earlier.
If you're looking to automate this part of your operation, talk to us and we'll show you what it would take to set up.
The problem we're solving
This article started with the post below. The question under it is the whole problem: the signs are there weeks before someone resigns, but nothing in the day-to-day makes a manager look for them consistently.
The earliest sign that a good employee is getting ready to leave
I have found that when a high-performing employee leaves, the resignation itself tends to be the last step. The real signs often appear much sooner. Sometimes they don't share ideas at meetings. Sometimes they get quieter than usual. Other times they do their job well but the mojo just isn't there anymore. What do you see first that tells you someone is already thinking about leaving, even if they haven't said a word yet? I am very keen to hear from both employees and managers who have seen this happen.
Understand the problem
The useful signs usually appear before the resignation, but they are spread across conversations, silence and small changes in behaviour. One workflow cannot predict who will leave. A small set of repeatable workflows can make it easier for staff to speak, give managers a consistent signal and surface the moments that need a conversation.
Workflow solutions at a glance
- #1 - Run regular staff one-to-ones. Put the same core questions in front of every manager on a regular schedule. The workflow records what has gone well, what is getting in the way, what the person wants next and what both sides agreed to do.
- #2 - Give staff an anonymous feedback route. A short anonymous check-in gives staff a safer route to say what is not working. It will not identify an individual flight risk, but it can expose recurring team problems before they become normal.
- #3 - Run a recurring staff flight-risk pulse. Ask the same short set of scored questions on a recurring schedule. Changes in role satisfaction, workload, recognition, manager support and future outlook create a prompt for a human conversation. They are signals, not a prediction.
- #4 - Alert the manager when a score drops. Keep the recurring pulse, then let Pilla send the manager a direct message when a score falls below the chosen threshold. The automation narrows attention to the responses that need follow-up.
#1 - Run regular staff one-to-ones
Best for: Managers who already talk to their staff, but do it inconsistently or without a useful structure.
Put the same core questions in front of every manager on a regular schedule. The workflow records what has gone well, what is getting in the way, what the person wants next and what both sides agreed to do.
What the workflow includes
- Name the team member and look back at the period since the last meeting
- Record blockers, priorities and development goals
- Finish with clear actions to revisit next time
#2 - Give staff an anonymous feedback route
Best for: Teams where people are unlikely to raise a concern directly with their manager.
A short anonymous check-in gives staff a safer route to say what is not working. It will not identify an individual flight risk, but it can expose recurring team problems before they become normal.
What the workflow includes
- Ask how work feels right now
- Collect the main concern without attaching a name
- Give people space to suggest one practical change
#3 - Run a recurring staff flight-risk pulse
Best for: Managers who need a lightweight signal they can compare over time.
Ask the same short set of scored questions on a recurring schedule. Changes in role satisfaction, workload, recognition, manager support and future outlook create a prompt for a human conversation. They are signals, not a prediction.
What the workflow includes
- Score role satisfaction, workload, recognition and manager support
- Ask whether the person can see a path forward
- Capture a comment that explains the scores
#4 - Alert the manager when a score drops
Best for: Managers responsible for enough people or sites that they cannot review every response manually.
Keep the recurring pulse, then let Pilla send the manager a direct message when a score falls below the chosen threshold. The automation narrows attention to the responses that need follow-up.
What the workflow includes
- Run the same five-question pulse
- Check each score against the manager's threshold
- Send a direct message with the low score and relevant comment
Further guidance
How to choose the right workflow
Start with the route your staff are most likely to use honestly.
- Choose regular one-to-ones when the main gap is inconsistent management conversations.
- Choose anonymous feedback when people do not feel safe raising concerns face to face.
- Choose a recurring flight-risk pulse when you need the same signal across a larger team and want to see changes over time.
- Add manager low-score alerts when the responses already exist but managers cannot review every one quickly.
These workflows can work together. A pulse or anonymous response should start a conversation, not replace one. The manager still needs to understand the context, agree the next action and follow up, but the conversation can happen while there is still time.