Offboarding – the process of guiding an employee’s departure from a company – often does not receive the same attention as its counterpart, onboarding. Onboarding, after all, is an exciting time for both sides.
New hires are eager and attentive, and employers are out to make a solid first impression. Employee offboarding, by contrast, is a time of parting ways.
Still, intelligent organizations provide a thoughtful, structured offboarding experience. Think of it as a crucial element of the employee lifecycle. Why? Let’s examine.
Ensure continuity
When an employee leaves, life at your company still goes on. Employers need to do what they can to maintain productivity. Knowledge transfer – teaching current staff members or a new employee how to perform the tasks of the departing employee – is critical.
The person leaving is in the best position to help. As part of offboarding, a manager should review daily tasks with the individual to determine the responsibilities others need to assume.
A supervisor might also want to ask the person to teach a colleague specific skills, create an FAQ, or develop a help guide or video.
Also, work together on how best to inform clients of the departure. The leaving employee may introduce the customer to the temporary or permanent staff member handling the account.
Be sure the email of the person leaving is either set to bounce to someone else in the company or contains an appropriate message informing the sender whom to contact.
Handle practical matters
Ending an employment relationship brings with it a variety of loose ends. A good offboarding checklist streamlines these things to ensure nothing gets overlooked.
All company property must be returned by the last day of employment. Items might include:
ID badge
Uniforms
Building keys
Laptop, phone, or other mobile devices
Corporate credit card
Company car
Company documents
Company equipment
Books and guides
In the interest of team member safety and decreasing data security risks, deactivate physical and electronic access. This action keeps former employees (especially disgruntled ones) from being able to come back into the building.
Revoke login credentials and permissions to protect against them accessing databases with sensitive information. Be sure they can no longer post from company social media accounts, too.
Go over business matters. Common areas to cover include:
Specifics regarding the final paycheck
The end of medical insurance and other benefits
Payout for leftover vacation or sick days
Termination paperwork
Confirm the individual’s contact information. This measure ensures you can reach the person when necessary, such as knowing where to send a W-2 come tax season.
Being able to get the former employee also proves helpful should an office question later arise, like “We cannot find the Simpson portfolio. Do you have any clue where it might be filed?”
Gain valuable knowledge
Soon-to-be former employees are treasure troves of information. Exit interviews provide an opportunity to cash in on their insights.
For starters, they can give a first-hand view of the job from which they depart. The position may have developed over the years, and knowing what the role entails nowadays will help construct an accurate job ad.
What were their daily tasks? What qualities would they recommend seeking in a potential candidate?
Then, seek feedback about their employee experience at your organization and their reasons for going elsewhere. Asking for input makes them feel important and helpful. Since they are already heading out the door, giving honest answers feels less risky.
Possible exit interview questions might include:
Why are you leaving your current position?
What factors led you to look for a new opportunity?
How much did work-life balance (compensation, relations with colleagues, advancement opportunities, etc.) affect your decision?
What did you dislike most about your position here?
Which aspects of your role provided the most outstanding job satisfaction?
What does the company do particularly well?
Did you feel valued during your time here? Why or why not?
What suggestions do you have for improving (company culture, operations, employee engagement, etc.)?
Which specific skills and qualifications should the HR team look for when we hire your replacement?
What actions could the organization have taken to encourage you to stay?
Ensure confidentiality as much as possible, and stress that you value candid feedback. Answering these questions in front of one’s direct supervisor can feel awkward, so a human resources representative or even an outside source can be a better choice to conduct the interview.
Use the information obtained from exit interviews (and exit surveys, if you choose to use an electronic or paper questionnaire) to make improvements. Addressing negatives learned during the offboarding process may improve employee retention rates.
For instance, if many departing employees mention salary as a significant factor in their decision, it might be time to examine your pay scale compared to competitors. Or, if toxic team members become too much for them to bear, start seeking ways to create a positive company culture.
Listen, too, for any sign of potential problems. If bullying, discrimination, harassment, or similar unacceptable behavior seems to be a factor in the employee’s exit, alert the proper legal and HR professionals within your organization.
Take pride in what former employees view as organizational strengths, and tout these things in your recruiting efforts. The elements that provided them with job satisfaction or a memorable employee experience are likely good selling points to your applicant pool.
Depart on good terms
The offboarding process provides an opportunity to thank exiting employees for their service and wish them well. Employers have been extending this common courtesy for decades, but attempting to maintain a positive relationship is more important nowadays than ever.
First, the Internet allows people to reach a vast audience. Former employees can post on social media, correspond with their LinkedIn network, and post company culture reviews on job sites.
Their words impact your organization’s reputation among prospective employees and customers. An excellent last impression can influence what they say or keep them from airing grievances.
An incredibly positive departure may even lead them to become brand ambassadors. While they may no longer work for you, satisfied ex-employees may recommend you to their connections.
They may also speak well of you as an employer at industry events or tout your products and services to people they know.
Positivity also keeps the door open for a possible return. Former employees sometimes decide they would like to come back to the company.
Perhaps the new position was not as advertised, retirement proved dull, or circumstances led to moving back to your geographical area. These so-called boomerang employees can be valuable additions to your staff.
Determine whether the departing employee is leaving in good standing. Some people are not rehireable because of misconduct or other infractions. Likewise, some may be ineligible because of failing to follow a company’s two-week notice policy.
Mention the status during the offboarding process so individuals know where they stand. A statement such as “If in the future you find yourself looking for new employment opportunities, we welcome you contacting us to examine possibilities” lets a departing employee know that doors are not shut.
If reapplying, the individual can reference the statement, which makes re-establishing contact less awkward.
Final thoughts on successful offboarding
Just as your organization likely uses checklists in the employee onboarding process, do the same for employee offboarding to ensure everything gets noticed. Employing customizable templates allows tailoring offboarding items to specific roles or departments.
Being able to tailor the employee offboarding experience also considers that people only sometimes depart under the same circumstances. Some leave voluntarily for a new job or due to personal reasons.
Others are fired or laid off. The employee offboarding process will contain similar elements based on the situation, such as a veteran employee retiring after 30 years vs. a worker dismissed for misconduct.
Finally, remember that the objective of offboarding is a smooth separation. If company leaders want to change someone’s mind about leaving, this conversation should happen before offboarding.
Actively listen during offboarding without judgment or attempts to sway. Complete necessary actions, such as the handover of company assets mentioned earlier. Then, offer a smile, handshake, and kind words as the final impression.
More Resources:
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Match game: How to build and get the most out of a mentorship program
Your first 30 days as a new manager — starting on the right foot
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