An Employee Resigned…Now What?

You dread when a good employee walks into your office and hands you a resignation letter, but unfortunately, that’s part of the job. Losing quality staffers doesn’t feel great, but every company experiences turnover to some degree.

In most cases, the employee will give you two weeks’ notice, but a lot needs to be accomplished during that time period, so you’ll need to get to work immediately.

4 Steps to Take When an Employee Resigns

Losing a valued employee can cause you to panic, but instead, take a deep breath and follow these five tips to handle the situation like a consummate professional.

Try Not to Take It Personally

It doesn’t feel great when an employee you like chooses to leave your team. However, it’s important to remember their decision isn’t a personal attack on you. You can’t blame someone for taking a job that’s a better fit for their career or personal life, so be happy for them. Let them know you’re sad to see them go, but pleased they’ve been granted an incredible opportunity.

Notify the Team

When left to its own devices, the office rumor mill can churn out some pretty crazy gossip. Nip this in the bud by gathering the team as soon as possible to inform them of their colleague’s imminent departure. Staffers will appreciate not being left in the dark, and putting the news out in the open quickly will create more time for transition activities.

Create a Transition Plan

The employee’s departure will impact the team but minimize it as much as possible by making a robust transition plan. Ask the person to make a comprehensive list of their current responsibilities, and instructions on how to complete the tasks, so nothing gets lost in the mix.  Divide these duties up among your team members, and if there’s time, have the departing employee train them.

Figure Out How Quickly You’ll Need a Replacement

Every employee on your team is important, but their jobs don’t necessarily have equal weight. After creating the transition plan, decide if you’ll need to hire a temporary staffer to fill in during the hiring process or if your existing staff can reasonably manage the extra work until you’ve found a permanent replacement. Be honest with yourself, because you want the business disruption created by the person’s absence to be as minimal as possible.

Chaos can easily ensue when an employee resigns, so decrease the madness by teaming up with ECS. We offer compliant professional payrolling and independent contractor management services to employers and back-office, funding, and employer of record service to recruiters nationally. Contact us today to get more time to focus on your business!

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