Off-boarding is the formal process that leads to a separation between the employee and the company through a resignation, termination or retirement. Off-boarding process includes all decisions and processes that take place as soon as an employee hands over resignation. This includes:

• • Transferring employee’s work and responsibilities
• • Transferring employee’s work and responsibilitiesTaking over control to access company assets including rights and passwords
• • Conducting exit interviews and collecting feedback for improvement.

Off-boarding helps a company mitigate risks, prevent legal issues and manage logistical and transition issues that take place as soon as an employee decides to leave. A smooth off-boarding process can make the employee comfortable, and a smooth exit can pave the way for additional opportunities, networking and referrals.

Here are 6 steps to follow in an off-boarding process that will help you reduce your time with ad hoc tasks during this process.

• • Communicate the decision to required partiesCommunicate the decision to required parties

As soon as the decision is made, HR needs to act fast. Accepting the resignation, informing the employee and the required teams about the decision is mandatory. It is courtesy that HR informs the reason as well to avoid miscommunications. HR needs to inform Payroll and IT so that they could start on the off-boarding process alongside HR.

• • Get ready with the paperwork

It is important to get the necessary documents in place as soon as the off-boarding process starts. There are 3 vital documents that require the urgent attention of HR.

• • Letter of resignation or termination
• • Letter of resignation or termination
• • Non-disclosure and Non-compete agreements if applicable
• • Benefit plan documents

It is the duty of HR to inform the employee on medical coverage, health benefits etc. for the transition period. If the company has an HR system which has a benefits module, then it automatically would notify the employee and HR department.

• • Plan and execute the knowledge transfer

Once an employee gives notice, HR needs to initiate the knowledge transfer. Depending on the role and job requirement, the employee could break it down to daily tasks, step by step instructions or any project handovers. Knowledge transfer also includes the successor receiving access to files, systems, informing the contacts within and outside the company about the transition.

• • Do the exit interview

If done right, an exit interview will add immense value to the company in understanding the weaknesses within and will give insights to rectify these issues and bottlenecks. One of the most important aspects of the off-boarding process, the exit interview needs to be handled by a neutral party such as the HR manager not the supervisor of the employee.

• • Handover company assets

When an employee’s stay comes to an end, the assets used by an employee need to be handed over to the networking division. These assets include physical assets such as laptops, uniforms, keys, ID’s, devices. The non-physical assets include access rights to software and network services.

• • Memorable farewell

The process is tiring, but it is important to have some fun and make the employee leave in good spirits. A long-standing employee deserves a farewell celebration with emotions to say goodbye. It is not only about a great first impression, it is also about their final impression which can lead to many positive things including the employee joining back on a later date.

Download our Off-boarding checklist and guidelines which will make your life easier. Drop a message if you have any questions, we are happy to help you with your off-boarding process.