How to Handle Employee Resignations
Posted September 22nd, 2015
When an employee resigns it inevitably raises red flags for the person who managed them. First and foremost, there is now a vacancy on the team that needs to be filled as quickly as possible. But a resignation can also be a sign of a corrosive company culture, ineffective leadership, or a team that simply doesn’t work well together. For that reason, managers need to handle the various steps of the resignation process delicately. Here are a few tips to improve the process:
Plan the Announcement
You may be the first one to hear about the employee’s intention to resign, but you won’t be the only one impacted. The rest of the team will also need to hear the news, along with other members of management and the group from HR. Work with the person leaving to plan out how and when this news will be announced. Generally, the best policy is not to wait any longer than you absolutely have to.
Agree on an End Date
Customary professional courtesy dictates that an employe give two weeks notice in advance of their departure. But under certain circumstances, they many want to leave sooner, even immediately, or stay on longer to wrap up unfinished business. As much as possible, decide on an end date that works for both parties.
Create a Transition Plan
Transition plans are used to smooth the move from one employee to the next. Before the departing employee leaves, have them write out a document listing all the projects they were actively working on, all the responsibilities they handled daily/weekly/monthly, and all the contact information they had for parties outside the company. That way, when someone new steps into the role, they can hopefully pick up exactly where the last person left off.
Take the High Road
Some resignations happen on good terms, but more often than not there is some animosity involved. Even when this is the case, it’s important to show courtesy and appreciation to the employee leaving. This is not a time to criticize the person’s performance, air grievances, or plead with them to stay.
Assess and Evaluate
Hopefully, in your conversations with the departing employee, you were able to determine why specifically they were leaving. With that knowledge in mind, take the opportunity to revise the way you do things to reduce future turnover. Could you entice staff to stick around by offering better compensation? Do you need to swing your company culture in a positive direction? Is a lack of advancement opportunities causing talent to look elsewhere? Thoughtful managers use an opportunity like this to make meaningful changes to their staffing strategy.
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