Our Sites

Warning signs that a job shop employee is about to quit without notice

How metal fab shops can gain better foresight to unhappy team members

Perspective view. Businessmen walking along the lighted path,vector illustration

Nick Martin of the North Carolina-based job shop Barnes MetalCrafters gives an honest assessment on how to spot an unhappy employee or one who is on the verge of quitting. mouu007/Getty Images

When it comes to the everyday hustle of a metal fabrication job shop, the little things tend to blur within the big picture. Little habits or clues of what is to come often go unnoticed and become an afterthought. These could be safety concerns, quality, performance, or warning signs that an employee may be on their way out. I have always told folks that our employees at Barnes MetalCrafters tend to stick around for a while. That’s usually true for the most part, but from time to time we’ll see an uptick in turnover.

Small shops are special, and there must be a unique dynamic to keep operations flowing and people meshing. Staying on your toes and ready to fix random problems is a requirement for every job shop. Not being able to adapt puts you in the spotlight, and every move you make is noticed.

It doesn’t take long for us to know when someone isn’t going to be a good fit. But what if an employee is hiding the fact that they are ready to leave? What are some of the warning signs? Here are some of my personal experiences and observations after spending many years working in a job shop.

One thing that always sticks out in my mind is if an employee is not interacting with co-workers, especially if they are working in the same area. Offering up feedback, ideas, and help should be second nature. We have some employees that go to their cars during break time. Not saying that is a bad thing—they don’t have to stay in the shop on breaks. But if a worker who has always gone to the break room and “cuts up” with everyone suddenly distances themselves from everyone else, that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Staying at their workstation and putting their head down tells me that there is something else going on—family/personal problems, illness, or maybe a hangover. Either way, it’s something management pays attention to. Experience has told me that employees who distance themselves from co-workers is a sign they might be ready to quit.

We’ve hired people because they said they were miserable at their previous jobs. We can only assume that this was the truth. Other than seeking more money, that is probably one of the main reasons people look for other jobs.

When that person comes to work for a us, a few things could happen:

First, the new employee hits the ground running and loves the new environment. They try to learn as much as possible about how we operate, what machinery we use, and they make an effort to get to know their new co-workers. Time shows that this type of employee most likely will stick around a while.

Second, the new employee comes in, hits their stride, and doesn’t require a lot of attention because they have experience. They distance themselves from everyone and they don’t have much to say when you try to interact with them. This person likely will be there for three to five weeks. They’ll start leaving early or coming in late. Eventually, they will miss a full day and then put in their two weeks’ notice (honestly, a small shop would be lucky if they give a full two weeks). This type of employee simply used you as a pawn so they could get more money from their previous employer. True story.

Third, a new employee comes into the shop and talks a good game. Experience running machines and the willingness to do odd jobs all were on their resume—and it probably sounded even better when they were tooting their own horn. So, there shouldn’t be a problem when you put them in front of the machine they were hired to run to start producing parts, right? Wrong. When you throw them a job and put a print in front of them, that’s when the struggle bus takes off. They begin to dip and dive through excuses, which takes a toll on their co-workers. They can’t blame a lack of training when they’ve talked a big game about being an experienced machine operator when the truth is they can’t even handle the basics. Eventually, they vote themselves off the island. I've seen it happen quite a few times.

Finally, this warning sign is the most obvious of them all. Instead of talking to their boss about making more money or doing more things in the shop, they tell co-workers that they want to leave. They throw a real pity party. They give the “I need another dollar or I’m leaving” speech. (I can’t emphasize enough how important communication is in a small job shop. Talk to the boss and see what can be done. Put your concerns on their radar and give them a chance to think it over.) Workers like this may put in little bit more time before bailing.

An employee that goes from being job focused to time clock focused is another signal I’ve seen. They have something else going on that is more important than the task at hand. A lot of times it turns out than an unfocused worker is training at another facility or planning their departure. Time always tells.

When employees or co-workers go from being fun, productive, and enjoyable to being rude, complaint ridden, and awful to be around, you need to pay attention and talk to them. If they backpedal and avoid conversation, something is up.

Obviously there’s more to life than working in a job shop so there may be several reasons why an employee may be unhappy or standoffish. I’m speaking of personal observations, but I can guarantee that many of the small shops have experienced many of these situations as well. It’s better to have some foresight on what’s going on instead of thinking about why an employee left in hindsight.

About the Author
Barnes MetalCrafters

Nick Martin

2121 Industrial Park Drive SE

Wilson, NC, 27893

252-291-0925