Make Parting a Sweeter Sorrow It’s inevitable that employees will leave. Have a process in place to ease the pain.
John Kreiss, president of SullivanKreiss, a firm that specializes in conducting high-level executive searches for the design and construction industries, suggests eight key areas to focus on to minimize disruptions.
Find out why an employee is leaving to pinpoint any organizational issues that are responsible. Is compensation significantly lower than what your competitors are offering? Are management problems in a certain division driving people away? Do people feel they are not being challenged or given the opportunity to advance? Departing employees are reluctant to give honest answers on why they leave so try to have a human relations representative conduct an exit interview. Look for patterns and decide if it makes sense to implement new policies to improve retention.
Announce the departure to the entire firm. It’s best to do this shortly after the employee informs management. It’s likely that some of the staff will have to pick up the slack for a while. They will want to know so they can rearrange their schedules. Up-front communication prevents rumors and gossip.
If someone is leaving on bad terms or going to work for your competitor, pay them for the two weeks but ask them to leave right away. Having someone stay and talk about his or her exciting new job can seduce your employees. For those two weeks, they could act as on-staff recruiters for your competitor.
A non-compete clause protects an employer from unfair competition by a former employee. If the employee signed a non-compete clause after being hired, review the terms with him or her. If there are any difficulties, ask your attorney to draft a letter explaining the agreement and give it to the employee. Most non-compete agreements are used as a deterrent rather than for litigation.
Notify customers, subcontractors, and suppliers. It is best to contact clients with a letter and follow up with a phone call. If you have a non-compete agreement, let the customer know.
It is vital to quickly decide how to cover for the departing employee. Put the details of what the employee will do with his or her remaining time in writing. Ask the employee to submit a summary on the status of outstanding projects and a list of contact people and other resources. Treating the outgoing employee with respect maintains the trust of your current staff.
Before filling the vacancy, review the job description for accuracy and update it as necessary. What did you learn during the employee’s tenure that might be helpful in restructuring the position? This is a good time to see if reorganization is needed.
Saying good-bye is important. Having a catered lunch or some similar event in their honor is a nice parting gesture. Make sure the event is consistent for all employees.
