The end should mirror the beginning – strategically and structured.
Why?
Because leaders don’t have time to scramble after an employee gives notice, and to truly Lead, Listen to and Love Your People from start to finish, leaders must offboard like they onboard.
The Most Common Scenario
A new employee joins the team. It’s an exciting two week period of easing into their new position.
They start day 1 with an agenda of what to do and who to meet that their leader thoughtfully planned out. There’s even a company branded mug waiting on their desk with a local coffee shop gift card to make them feel extra welcome.
The days after follow with a similarly structured plan.
Flash forward years later…
That same employee gives their two weeks notice.
The leader is disappointed then turns their focus back to their ever growing *urgent* to-do list.
The exiting employee gets left for days working without any specific direction before anyone talks to them about what exactly their exit will look like or really even what they should be doing with their time anymore.
Then, the expectation is that the employee will spend the remaining time before their notice period ends completing millions of little tasks that all of sudden need to be completed immediately.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is panicking about losing that exiting team member and how that will impact their current workload. The leader is also too busy to address any current issues because now they’re in full on recruiting mode, frantically trying to hire a replacement ASAP.
The More Effective Alternative
There’s a better way that eliminates the stress and panic for everyone, while also setting up the team for success during this transition period.
While strategically building a thoughtful onboarding program, a leader also includes plans for what offboarding a similar employee’s position will look like.
The offboarding plans includes plans that mirror their onboarding process:
A plan to communicate the news to the remaining team
An agenda for each day of an employee’s notice period
Strategic plans for transitioning workloads and delegating tasks
When an employee gives notice, the leader should allow that employee to go with dignity, respect and gratitude because they have already prepared for this possibility and can simply start moving through their already assembled strategic offboarding process.
The existing team, like their leader, will miss their exiting team member, but they feel confident knowing what will happen during the transition.
No one is panicking. No one is scrambling. No one is left wondering what will happen next.
What Every Leader Can Do Today
Which leader are you? If you’re the leader who already has planned an offboarding program, congratulations! Today is your day to simply check-in on those plans to make sure they are still applicable. If you’re the leader in the first scenario, today is the day to address your offboarding plans.
I get it. You’ve got a long list of things that need your attention now. How can you possibly find time to plan for someone leaving (when everyone on your team seems content, right?)?
Take these simple steps today to support your current goals and prepare for a smooth transition to ensure your team stays on track no matter when someone exits –
- Contemplate the Eventual Reality – Someday one of your employees will give their notice. What would need to happen next to ensure a smooth transition for your team? Take a few minutes to write that down.
- Consider Your Communications – When someone gives notice, do you have a plan for how that news is communicated and to who? List everyone and the order in which they should be told. Be thoughtful in how you communicate this message so that the exiting employee is respected and your existing team will be reassured.
- Decide on Specifics – Imagine that potential exiting employee’s position. What would their schedule look like for the first few days after they give notice? Briefly map it out. Make sure to include time blocks for them to complete projects and meetings with other leaders of your organization, if necessary, and team members to delegate work and ease the transition.
Remember to keep their days shorter than usual. It’s natural for even the best employees to lose their “steam” after they give notice. Instead of expecting them to work their full 40 hours per week, think strategically about what you need them to accomplish in a limited time.
Intentionally structuring their days will ensure that their exit is a positive and productive one for everyone.
The goal is to exit this person in the most kind, compassionate way as well as effectively transfer information and set your team up for continued success.
Transitions, although challenging, can be positive. Even though you may likely be losing a high performer and that will impact the team to some degree, you are in control of the outcome and what that impact looks like in the end.
You get to choose:
Respond with disappointment and panic = exiting employee feels guilty and will never recommend your organization to anyone they know AND remaining team is stressed and not as productive.
OR
Respond respectfully and strategically = exiting employee feels good about work they’ve accomplished AND remaining team feels confident they can continue performing their jobs.
No company should fail because one person leaves. Plan for the inevitable offboarding. Keep in touch with your people to decrease surprise departures and when people are ready to go, allow them to go because leaving might be the very best thing for them and that’s great for you, too.
Need help preparing your Offboarding process? Email solutions@theworksconsulting.com
