Employee onboarding is a fundamental process for making new employees at your company feel at ease. But what about employee offboarding? When an employee leaves, many companies settle for collecting paperwork and keys and withdrawing computer access. It’s more a matter of protecting the company’s assets than learning anything about the employee’s experience.
But if you recognize staff offboarding for the intelligence gathering opportunity, not only can you honor people who have contributed to your company’s success, but you can also help that success continue after they’re gone. Here are five employee-offboarding best practices that can make your business better.
Gather Wisdom from Departing Employees
An exit interview is your best chance to get honest feedback. Encourage workers on their way out to be open about any negatives they experienced. You may get some unpleasant surprises, but it’s better to know you have problems to address than to let them fester.
Continuously Build a Base of Knowledge
In the event you have a hard time finding a replacement for a departing team member, you don’t want your efficiency to suffer. That’s why it’s important to establish a base of company and departmental knowledge proactively. Make it part of your team’s ongoing work responsibilities to document desk procedures. Not only will that grant the opportunity for cross-training, but it also can make any personnel changes smoother.
Make Goodbyes Special
Show departing employees you appreciate their contributions to your company. Consider a farewell lunch to give everyone a chance to share well wishes or funny memories. Not only will it help give the exiting employee a satisfying sendoff – it will lift your team’s spirits.
End Things Positively
When employees leave on good terms, there’s a minimum of stress. But what should you do when someone leaves under unpleasant circumstances?
Make the offboarding experience as positive as possible by emphasizing employees’ strengths. Remember, a disgruntled employee could leave a trail of bad reviews of your company on career websites like Glassdoor. But by providing a pleasant offboarding experience – even under unpleasant circumstances – you can enhance your company’s reputation and leave the door open for good employees to return to the company when the time’s right.
Don’t “Ghost” Departing Employees
Show exiting employees your appreciation by staying in touch with them. Volunteer to write a recommendation letter for employees – particularly when they’ve shown diligence and eagerness to learn.
If you’re looking for new talent, Mega Force can help. We are one the leading staffing agencies in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to provide quality candidates. Contact Mega Force to request an employee.
