Saying Goodbye Well

How you leave an organisation is as important as how you start, yet few businesses and managers spend much time thinking about a good exit for staff leaving.

It is the nature of employment that no job lasts forever and people move on to different roles, yet in my experience few organisations manage departing staff well and in the same way induction is often a bit tenuous, the path to leaving is often non-existent even in mass redundancy or restructuring situations, or limited to how to shut down the IT and retrieve ID passes.

As I've taken on coaching clients I've realised how important a good end to a job can be and how damaging small carelessness can be to someones psychological closure and how much this tarnishes their context for an otherwise positive work experience. A badly managed exit creates bad feeling and resentment in the individual who has left and damages the reputation of the organisation. Sadly too many businesses don't pay attention to this important part of the psychological contract of work and sadly this leaves a lingering after-taste to the work experience which can undermine an otherwise positive legacy.

So what can help say goodbye well? Here are a few key things that I think every organisation should consider:

Pensions and Pay

Often when someone is coming to the end of their contract the focus is on ensuring the final pay slip is correct, but it is also important to ensure that their pension situation is resolved efficiently and they receive their P45 (or country equivalent tax statement) in a timely fashion.

Work with your pension provider or employee assistance provider to give employees some information about what their options could be one leaving in relation to their pension and encouraging them to get some independent financial advice can be helpful. It seems like something that is obvious but pensions are often one of the most contentious bits of leaving a job, especially if it's through redundancy and negotiated exit, and the impact of a badly managed exit goes on for many years after the exit itself.

As part of the manager close down checklist it is important to include a box on informing the pension provider, if there is an occupational pension, and some communication to the employee about what the timeline to issuing the P45 statement is. This should be an explicit part of the discussions with the member of staff leaving so they understand clearly what will happen and the process.

Recognise and Acknowledge

Whether someone has worked for an organisation for six months or sixteen years it is important to recognise and acknowledge their contribution. At times of major restructuring or redundancy it can sometimes feel like the leaving cards are coming thick and fast, but even when they do it is important to take time to sign them and make the effort, because it matters much more than you perhaps realise.

Often we do this reasonably well at an individual level from the direct reports or immediate team but sometimes it slips through the net because of other things going on and that key lack of care leaves a lasting resentment that is hard to shake. To put it bluntly the individual is left feeling undervalued and rejected by their peers and colleagues, especially if they are someone who made the effort to sign others cards and remember birthdays or Christmas cards. Leaving cards feel like a trivial thing but they are an important part of recognising that someone is leaving and acknowledging them and their presence.

At a corporate level having a standard thank you closing letter can be an important fail safe for recognising and acknowledging the transition. Having a standard letter which acknowledges how long someone has worked for the organisation and says a formal thank you is something that leaves a positive feeling of recognition for the individual. It can also be an opportunity to manage expectations potentially if you include key information alongside the thank you messaging.

Heart and Mind

Leaving a job is an emotional experience, whether positive or negative, it is a bit transition and so an organisation has a duty of care to think about the psychological support for the transition.

If individuals are leaving from their own choice there can be a rollercoaster of emotions from excitement about the new role, nervousness and anxiety for the change and guilt about leaving people behind. This can be made more difficult if the information on moving is restricted or there is a rapid transition, for valid reasons, which makes those around the exiting individual feel resentment for not being told in advance. Supporting discussions about this as line managers or through business coaching can help people navigate the emotions of transition.

If they are leaving through redundancy or negotiated exit there can be layers of anger, resentment and unfairness, even if things have been handled well. Sometimes as part of larger scale programmes it is worth running workshops or seminars with senior staff sharing some of their experiences of moving on to help normalise the experience. Allowing space for these to be discussed and supported through an employee assistance programme or specific coaching support can be helpful.

Leaving a job is a transition and it is important to acknowledge the emotional side of this as well as the practical elements.

Follow Up

The final recommendation is to provide a clear point of contact for staff who have left the organisation to reach out to if they have concerns or questions. Often there are questions or things that come to individuals after their final day and if there is no dedicated single point of contact then they can become easily exasperated trying to navigate the organisation from the outside.

Every organisation has staff who leave and preparing for this, just as much as you do for induction, will support better transitions and help your staff leave with a positive feeling about the organisation and their experience.

As a business you cannot manage people's individual emotions about leaving but you can create processes and practices that create as positive a psychological transition as possible and this is something that will be reflected in a positive organisational reputation and better retention and recruitment.

No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. - Taylor Swift