Here are a few important considerations to keep in mind when handling an employee who decides to resign from your company:
Accept notice of resignation with tact
When coaching job candidates that I am placing in new roles, I often hear the following reasons as to why they chose not to provide the customary two weeks notice to their leadership team when quitting their job. Here’s what most of these candidates say:
1. They don’t respect their employer enough to give them lead time
2. They don’t believe they were an integral part of the team
3. They know they would never go back, and therefore, feel that there is no need to give notice
Having such a perspective on the situation not only works against the job seeker on more levels than they would think, but it also directly impacts you, the employer, and your company.
Whether your employee is ending the working relationship on good terms or bad terms, accept their notice and work with them to ensure that the work agreement concludes on a good note. How you choose to address the situation in that moment will be a reflection on your company culture and practices. By helping ease what is sure to be a difficult decision, you will frame your organization in a positive fashion.
Once you have a clear understanding of why your employee is resigning and when their last day is going to be, determine when and how the news of their impending departure should be communicated to the rest of the company. Your team will be looking to you for your example of leadership and guidance, as this change will likely affect their work as well. To prevent a negative impact on office morale, assure your team that you are open to their questions and offer your support during the transition.
Coordinate the offboarding process
Now that the news has been made official, arrange the appropriate procedures for offboarding your employee from your company, including mapping out the transition plan for project handoffs and knowledge transfers, setting up their exit interview, and reviewing legal documents. Allow your employee to take home any papers for their personal review before signing. Your employee may also consider seeking consultation with an employment lawyer to ensure that they understand the terms of the agreement.
Be kind from start to finish
Display kindness to your departing employee during their final weeks on the job. Express your appreciation for their time at your company, extend your best wishes for their continued success in their career, and offer to provide a solid reference when requested. Empathy goes a long way and is an important piece to hold on to. As well, you never know if you’re going to cross professional paths again down the road, so be sure to leave the door of opportunity open for future connections.
As an HR and recruitment professional, I often find great, passive talent and bring them over to new opportunities. Just as I ensure that I am not burning bridges by ever pulling from current or past clients of mine, I continue to coach my candidates to leave their current organization in as positive of a light as possible. As for employers, choosing to treat your employee’s resignation with professionalism, respect, and kindness speaks wonders about your organization and leads to an enhanced personal and corporate brand image.
Now that you know how to best handle an employee who submits their notice of resignation, you should consider looking into Rise's HR software, which makes the admin side of offboarding easy. Once an employee is removed from the system, the information that he or she no longer works for the company will be automatically carried over to Rise's payroll and benefits platforms, so you won't need to worry about accidentally continuing to pay them or allowing them to make benefits claims -- it's all done for you at the click of a button. To learn more about Rise, book a free demo here.
