Like it or not, there comes a time when you and your employees must part ways. Don’t let unexpected resignations catch you off guard; take damage control by following these steps.  
Get written confirmation

This will help protect you legally, and will help you dodge future squabbles about termination dates and notice periods.

Do you want the employee to work out their notice period?

Most of the time, you’ll want to keep hold of your employees for as long as you can, to tie up loose ends and handover their workload.

However, in some instances, dismissing employees immediately will prevent them from taking key clients with them and poaching leads.

Discuss when you should alert other staff members

It’s important that you agree on a date, and ensure that staff members are given enough notice for relevant changeovers to be made.

Create a handover checklist

Make a detailed list of your employee’s duties and responsibilities then work out who you are going to pass each task onto.

Your team are likely to be happy to pick up the slack for a short period of time, but eventually you’ll need to find a replacement.

Using a local recruitment agency will be easier, as they’ll already have access to strong pool of candidates ready to work.

Arrange an exit interview

This is your chance to get some real insight into your strengths and weaknesses. Here are some questions you could consider asking:

• What elements of your job did you enjoy the most and least?
• How easy were your colleagues to get along with?
• How secure did you feel that your job was?
• How valued did you feel your work was?
• How content were you with pay, working hours and expectations?
• To what extent did you feel your skills were used effectively?

Organise all final payments

Discuss how much pay your soon to be former employee is owed, and when this will be paid. Don’t forget to pay them for untaken annual leave.

Arrange a send-off party or purchase a parting gift

This isn’t always appropriate, but when it is, it’s a great way of reaffirming the good terms you are parting on. Bad press from a disgruntled employee can damage your company’s reputation – parting on good terms will reduce the chances of this happening. Don’t forget to make a point of thanking your employees for all of their hard work.

By Tirebuck Recruitment, one of your local recruitment companies in Solihull.