When you need to offboard someone: 6 points to have in your plan
As we know, changes are underway in many organizations. Several technology companies have laid people off, and other organizations are looking at their staff, workloads, and the economy and making tough decisions. As I wrote last week, layoffs should be the last resort any leader should consider as a cost-cutting or savings measure.
However, layoffs are happening and will continue to happen. Most of us don’t actively think about offboarding employees. For one, we hope we never have to do it. But, two, we have limited time to spend, so we spend our time actively working with our customers, improving processes, investing in current staff, etc. We rarely spend the time to think about how we help someone exit the organization.
In our present circumstance, I think this needs to change. People exit organizations for many reasons. Some leave because they find a better fit, more money, more flexibility, or significant career growth. Some are exiting because we needed to downsize, or there is no longer a fit. And unfortunately, we still have those cases where we need to terminate someone for performance or their reasons.
Regardless of the reason, we should have decent offboarding processes and mindsets to help that person transition out of the organization. If this person voluntarily leaves and they are considered to be a “regrettable loss,” we need to have a smooth and meaningful process for several reasons:
We may want to attract them back as a boomerang employee
We want them to provide a positive review even though they are no longer working with us
We want them to have good things to say should someone they know want to consider an opportunity with us
I never want someone leaving on a sour note. This may be inevitable if someone is terminated for a negative reason. But, in almost every case, you can create an environment where people can leave with smiles on their faces and good feelings about the place they are leaving.
I once worked with a leader who did not understand the value of offboarding. He thought if someone was going to leave, then good riddance. Why would we spend any time on them? I then talked with him about an emerging trend at the time — having a solid talent brand. With platforms like Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Comparably, every leader should care about those departing the organization. Many people I talk with say they consult at least one of these platforms, if not others, to check out what people are saying about the company.
So, how do you create a good offboarding experience? This doesn’t have to be complicated, but it needs to be a consistent process.
1. Communicate the change.
I have had many debates about whether or not to announce someone’s departure. It is undoubtedly difficult or inappropriate to share if you have terminated someone. However, people can feel a little stunned or annoyed if someone is gone and they have no idea. They can also feel hampered because they may not know who to work with in their absence. My default position is to let those impacted by the departure know. Details around the departure don’t need to be shared unless the person exiting wants them to be, i.e., they took on a new role with another company. For business continuity purposes, people need to know about the departure and what to do now. Creating a transparent and open environment builds trust and accountability with those who remain.
2. Transfer knowledge.
Speaking of business continuity, ensuring knowledge of critical processes, systems, clients or projects needs to be captured. Now, when is the best time to do this? While everyone is working! I have found, and me included lately, that not all critical processes are documented in most organizations. Fundamental knowledge or information should be captured through our work so that when someone departs, this departure is less of a disruption. The value of documentation should not be underestimated in high-change times.
3. Conduct an exit interview.
Another hot topic is exit interviews. Some organizations don’t conduct them. If you are a global, multi-thousand-person organization, chances have it the HR group does not have the capacity to hold live interviews with every departing employee. HR is not the only group to hold such interviews, however. I have received some push-back on this, but managers should feel empowered to have a quick conversation with their employees to find out why they are leaving. Ask what went well, what didn’t quite work, and what advice they would give the team in the future. That is the crux of the exit interview. You could also consider doing surveys if an HR group wants more quantifiable trends in their turnover. But, a quick, honest conversation can highlight some actions we can take to help prevent further departures. Of course, I also advocate for stay interviews, where managers conduct proactive conversations about what it would take to keep someone engaged and with the organization.
4. Celebrate and acknowledge.
We are remiss if we don’t acknowledge and celebrate a person’s accomplishments at the organization. During our times of volume resignations, some people leave companies they have spent 5, 10, or 20+ years with. Whether you are happy or not about this person’s departure, give a good send-off that celebrates their achievements and the impact and legacy they leave behind. This activity should not only be reserved for retirements—end things on a good note where everyone feels good about their tenure with the company.
5. Leave the door open.
Unless this is a termination for unfortunate reasons, let the person know they are welcome to return should the new gig not pan out. I wrote about Boomerang employees earlier this year. The truth is, the grass is not always greener. The new opportunity may look fabulous on paper, but it is a worse situation. Leave the door open and tell the person the door is open. They may not know this unless you tell them that directly.
6. Create alumni networks.
Alumni networks are also on the rise. Given the vast changes affecting many organizations, why not form a LinkedIn group for alums? Keep them connected to the company, its vision, mission, and strategies. You never know when the former employee may be looking for another opportunity again, and there could be a good fit. People grow, change, and educate themselves. Be open to connecting and rehiring people in different positions, especially if they accumulate more experience and build more knowledge and expertise.
Offboarding has become more important these days. We are still competing for talent and need a strong brand with strong messaging about why someone would want to work with us. Your former employees can be great ambassadors for the organization if we spend a little time focusing on them while they exit.
Of course, we need to focus more on the employees through clear expectation setting, growth opportunities, stay interviews, good pay and benefits, flexibility, and meaningful feedback while working with us. But if we lose someone, we should know precisely why and see if we can make any changes for the future.