Never Say Good Bye...

We all need to accept the facts, live with reality and still act with maturity and professionally in organizational interest whenever an employee decides to leave the organization for whatever reasons or circumstances.

When we part ways we need to remain objective, keeping aside individual undercurrents, negativity, biases (if any) when we know that its difficult to fill the gap, we will be undergoing a pain of settling down new incumbent in vacant position and most importantly let's not change our attitude towards an employee who is leaving us.

Important point for all of us is never to say good bye ...because It is not the departure that hurts, but the bad memories that follows.

• Employees who are leaving organization carry brand image and lasting impressions for life time and spread the word to others on how they were treated or how they were made special during and at the time of exit. Word of mouth impacts organization's brand to attract talent in short and long run.
• Employee leaving on positive note and experience have higher advocacy factors to recommend Talent, talk about positive experience with other industry professionals and still act or continue to act as brand ambassador.
• Organization and Employee may cross the path in future and we may take decision re-hire an ex-employee and he/she also likes to join back basis positive experience.

Let's look at exit process from an employee's perspective who is leaving - 

After few months/years at organization, he/she has found another/better/dream job with another organization!

Employee is elated and excited, but at the same time, he/she may be little sad. He/she may have fear of unknown at the same time he needs happy ending here. He/she had a good and bad time here. He/ She enjoyed working alongside your colleagues, and you've also enjoyed socializing with him after work.He/she is expecting a farewell party, some surprise gifts, positive references, he /she is feeling emotional too, other employees are asking personal email id, new mobile number, some are guessing new organization’s name. Everybody promises to stay in touch.

But six months into new job, he/she realizes that he/she has been so busy, he/she hasn't spoken to any of old colleagues. After all, everybody’s moved on, right? Only thing which matters to him now is positive memories and experience.

An Employee looks for graceful exit and also wants to be in touch because ….

• Nobody can vouch for background, skills, qualities and performance like former colleagues or managers. 
• Even if he/she never socialized with one another in free time, colleagues known employee professionally very well.
• Former colleagues with whom he/she had a good working relationship can be allies for the rest of professional life.
• Keeping in touch, he/she can both benefit from each other’s contacts and knowledge about what’s going on in your field. One never knows when a connection will line up for advantage.

Here comes the role of his/her Manager and HR to create seamless delightful experience even during exit process.

First of all ensure No employee leaves organization for a wrong reason and take corrective/ preventive action basis actual trigger reason.

Ensure departing employee initiates his/her exit formalities on/before time so that Full and Final payment can be released on his/her Last work date and relieving/experience letter can be given without delay.

In case next employer ask for reference check of employee who is moving on – Provide professional inputs highlighting strength and share improvement areas (only if asked for).

Send necessary in house communication for information purpose to avoid ambiguity, speculations. 

While an employee is serving his/her notice period -

Keep sharing and show casing the success stories with entire team, highlight what we achieved together and by his/her services. See if you can invite family members on departing employee's farewell, so that family members continue to feel proud. Not to forget to wish departing employee with personalized message on Thank You card or by using social networking sites along with pictures. Continue to demonstrate your emotional connect with some personal / sticky notes with related stuff on the employee's desk or cabin at different points which are usually in everyday reach. Present  memento / photo collage or an appropriate gift to him to carry with him to new workplace. Be creative and shot video messages of team members, which he/she can play any time in future and remember to plan in advance a re-union of Ex-employees in future.

Ask departing employee to stay in touch by join alumni group on LinkedIn and continue to be part of Facebook Page, Greet an ex-employee on his Birthday/Anniversary/festivals on phone or in person or using social media and continue to send regular mailers to keep sharing articles/news or blog.

Never say good bye...It is not the departure that hurts, but the bad memories that follows.