The Right Way to Deal with an Employee Resignation

The Right Way to Deal with an Employee ResignationThe Right Way to Deal with an Employee ResignationFace it. Sooner or later, even the best employer has employees resign. They think that theyve found a better opportunity or their spouse has accepted a job out-of-state. They decide to stay home with children or find themselves providing long-term care for a parent. The reasons are endless for what causes an employee resignation. But, each employee resignation poses the employer with the same series of questions. How do you announce the employees resignation? Who needs to know what about the employees resignation? When do you tell your employees about the employees resignation? Should you let the employee post a say goodbye emaille on the company discussion board? What if the exiting employee asks you to write a generic reference letter? Answers to the Questions About Employee Resignation Here are answers to the many questions you may have about employee resignation. An employee ha s just resigned. The norm is that the employee tells you verbally that he or she is resigning from your company. Immediately ask the resigning employee for a resignation letter in writing with their final date of employment stated. This protects you from unemployment claims and otherbei charges of impropriety. Dealing With Employee Resignation An employee resignation always causes some disruption in the workflow, however, if the employee resigning is valued and you decide to let him or her work their final two weeks, they can do a lot to make the transition successful. This assumes that you have assessed that the individual will remain a positive contributor until their final day. They can wrap up loose ends, provide details about ongoing projects, and email friends and coworkers about their leaving. Make sure that you assign employees to pick up the work of the departing employee. They will have a head abflug if they can confer with the person who is leaving to understand the c hallenges and details of their job. These assigned replacement employees also need to binnensee a list of the goals and responsibilities for which the position is responsible. It is to everyones advantage that they understand the context, not just the daily to-dos, of the employee who is leaving the organization. This will enable them to better train his or her replacement when that person is hired. Additionally, if the employee resigning has customer contact responsibilities, they can provide an introduction to the person who will pick up their responsibilities. You might ask administrative employees, and others who have jobs with clear and documentable responsibilities, to create a procedure manual prior to their departure. But, hopefully, you already have these procedures documented and in place. Notification to Coworkers and Customers About an Employee Resignation To notify other employees about an employees resignation, start by telling the employees own department about th e employees resignation. Perhaps call a quick meeting and inform the other employees that the employees last day is in two weeks. Tell them that you will appreciate their help to pick up any loose ends and inform them to whom the various responsibilities have been assigned. Your other employees will also want to know the timeline for the replacement of the departing employee. Generally, good employees are quite willing to perform extra work or work longer hours to fill in, but they appreciate knowing the time frame during which this will be expected. With a trusted, valued employee who will be working out their two weeks notice, send out an email to notify the other employees immediately of the employees resignation. You might say something such as Mary is leaving us to pursue new opportunities at x company. Her last day at our company is March 15. Please join me in wishing Mary tremendous success in her future endeavors. We will hold a say good-bye party at Toms Tavern on Marys las t day which is the 22nd. Please join us to wish Mary success in her new employment and to say good-bye. ExpandOf course, before you send this information out, check with Mary to see if she is comfortable with all of the above. She may even have a personal email address that she wants to share so people can stay in touch. In any case, make sure that you know what she wants to be shared with her coworkers. Maintaining her confidentiality, if that is what she prefers, is strongly recommended. Many of your employees probably knew that Mary was looking and they also know why. Employees like closure when a valued colleague leaves so your graciousness is not only appreciated, it sends a powerful message to the employees who remain. Of course, you will hold an exit interview during which you will become clear about why the employee is leaving. Making counteroffers or enticing Mary to stay is not recommended for employers even if you are losing a seriously valued employee. In her mind, she h as already moved on. You need to look at the situation in the same way. Mary moved on mentally when she started looking for a new job or when she determined the personal response necessary in her life situation. The time to identify and solve problems is before Mary started looking. How to Notify Employees When the Employee Resignation Is Welcome The scenario changes if the employee resigning is not valued or you dont trust the person to carry out their responsibilities successfully during their two weeks notice. In these cases, tell the employee that you will pay him or her for their time, but their services are no longer required. Ask yourself why you continued to employ this individual under any circumstances to avoid repeating your mistake in the future. Firing an employee can be ethical, legal, moral, and appropriate. To announce the employees resignation, send out an immediate email to all employees stating that Mary has left the company to pursue new opportunities effecti ve on todays date. You might add that you wish her success as she pursues her new opportunities. Communicate also, where any of her responsibilities have been reassigned. You may want to add some details about how and when you plan to seek a replacement due to the employee resignation.