Employees come and go. As human resource professionals, we expect and plan for this. Often, the immediate steps employers should take are handled by a seasoned HR professional. But just like having an onboarding checking list – all organizations need to have an off-boarding checklist as well.
Here are nine steps to take when an employee resigns.
1. Congratulate the Employee
Take the high road and congratulate the employee. In your
2. Establish Last Day of Employment and Number of Working Days Left
Two weeks is a customary notice, and often in senior leadership positions, 3-4 weeks may be specified in an employment contract. Assume the employee wants to make a smooth transition and establish the last day of employment and discuss any additional time off they may want to take before leaving.
3. Develop an Internal Communications Plan
It is important to communicate with peers, leadership and other internal stakeholders. The goal is to minimize any stress, gossip
4. Develop an External Communications Plan
Notification to external contacts varies dramatically from company to company. The worst case scenario is telling the soon-to-leave employee NOT to tell external contacts they are leaving. A better scenario is to have the employee’s manager reach out to any external contacts with an email and if possible, a phone call to reassure the continuity of operations.
5. Make a Transition Plan
Meet with the employee to detail day-to-day responsibilities and special projects. Document the
6. Document All Credentials
Even if your company has an established and formalized username and password policy, exceptions to policies frequently occur. Get a list of systems and apps your employee uses every day and document the usernames and credentials to each of them.
7. Execute Internal Communications Plan
Use this opportunity to reassure stakeholders that a smooth transition has been planned. Depending on the size of the organization, communicating the news is typically done by the employee’s manager in a company meeting or by email.
8. Execute External Communications Plan
Assure clients, vendors
9. Conduct an Exit Interview With Collection of Company Assets
Never assume you know why an employee is leaving. The reasons vary from advancement opportunities, more money, better commute, better or less hours, etc. You can use this first-person intelligence to make improvement suggestions to the leadership team. Collect any company assets from the employee at this meeting, such as key cards, laptops, security badges, etc.
Recruitment is Ongoing
Employees come and go. The biggest mistake an employer can make is to get too comfortable and think their key human assets will never leave. Having an ongoing partnership with the Jarvi Group allows you to respond quickly to sudden employment changes. This reduces company stress and minimizes the costs of lack of productivity. Contact our top Jarvi Group recruiters today!
