Resignation: tragedy or possibility?

It is striking that when hiring employees a lot of attention goes out to the application process. The importance to get the right person for the right job is recognized. However, too often the importance of a resignation process is underestimated. Legal bickering and/or negative, emotional energy can be prevented by coaching employees with care and respect towards their resignation.

As a leader you cannot escape it: within your career, sooner or later you will have to deliver a resignation message because of economical recession or because the person in question is ineffective in their role. Especially now, in times of financial crisis, downsizing and reorganization are taking place within organizations. Healthy leadership implicates a healthy HR-policy with clear procedures. In practical terms this means that as a leader you have thought about a careful and respectful resignation procedure.

How can you develop a procedure that shows care & respect?
5 questions that can help you along:

1.    Is it clear ‘why’ the person in question has to resign? The emotional impact of resignation is immense for an employee. Within the process of accepting and processing the resignation it is important that the reason is obvious and clear.  Provide specific feedback especially when the person in question was let go due to being ineffective in their role. Be honest and clear about legal rights and duties.
2.    What kind of ‘gap’ does the employee leave within the organization? It is often in retrospect, that it becomes clear which place or role the employee played in the organization or team: the wise patriarch, the inner conscious or the social heart. Especially in close-knit teams the absence can lead to confusion. Who will take over which role or task?

3.    Have I made enough use of creative possibilities? Internal transfer, creating a suitable position, internal change of position/task. These are all possibilities to maintain your competent and involved employees for the organization. In case of unavoidable resignation you can offer the employee external coaching in order to help him or her in a positive way to find another job.

4.    How does this resignation come across to other employees or even to people outside the organization? The resignation of a colleague can induce fear: ‘am I next…?’ It may go at the expense of trust. In this case it is important to know how to communicate this message within the organization and in what way? The same applies to the integrity of the organization in external communication. Do I wash my dirty linen in public? What are the consequences for the image of my employee and our organization?

5.    How do we say goodbye with dignity?

Plan an ‘out’-take talk with your employee. Make last arrangements and record them (holiday pay). Have a general evaluation and ask about ideas for growth and development regarding yourself, your team and organization. Ask in what way the employee wants to say goodbye. Indicate in what way you can play a part in finding suitable work (yes/no: offering a career- or coaching process; outplacement; writing references; use of network; sending CV).

What demonstrates care and respect for your employees during resignation? And how is that translated into the resignation procedure?

Want to know more? Eva-radio had a conversation with Jolanda Nooteboom on 25 February about ‘Resignation: tragedy or possibility?’ You can listen to this on the website: www.eo.nl/eva

Jolanda Nooteboom