We hear a lot about employee on-boarding but 'offboarding' is just as tricky
We hear a lot about employee on-boarding but the process for transitioning employees, or ‘offboarding’ is hardly talked about and often overlooked. HRD’s Coann Labitoria explains why offboarding is important and how to offboard employees gracefully.
One of the most beneficial reasons for properly offboarding is securing sensitive information and data. When an employee leaves it’s important to ensure access to company software, documents and data is removed and all company equipment (laptop, smartphone) is returned.
Convenient and stress-free offboarding is also a really great way to ensure the employee leaves with a positive impression of the company so they continue to promote the company in a good light throughout their future connections.
A good offboarding process can significantly minimise any discomfort and stress an employee can feel as they prepare to leave the company.
The ways an employer can improve the offboarding process:
- Know and understand the nature of exit.
Resignation, termination, retirement, or layoff? Understanding this helps employers map out how to handle the employee and what steps are needed for the departure.
- Ensure compliance.
Having a compliance checklist can guide employers through each step and keep track of progress. It also helps employees see what else they need to accomplish before their last day.
- Retrieve insights.
Departing employees can offer sincere feedback on the company’s culture, employees, workload, employment packages, and management. This information can shed light on the strengths of the company and the areas that need work.
- Treat departing employees warmly.
Treating employees kindly and respectfully even during their transition out of the company is still a duty of the employer and the minimum requirement as human beings.
- Prevent potential productivity stalls.
Employers should stay transparent and inform the affected teams and staff of any departing employee to prepare them for any changes to their daily work routine.
Losing an employee, whether it is voluntarily or by executive decision, can be awkward but businesses would do well to take advantage of the situation to garner data and insights to improve the operations of the business and increase employee retention in the long run.
