The Government’s furlough scheme supported 11.6 million jobs while it was in place but now it has closed, how many of those jobs will become redundant?
No matter how many times a business has gone through a redundancy process, it is still very upsetting for all involved but there is a way to make it easier. The solution is an effective offboarding programme and this article will walk you through how to set one up.
If you read my previous article in this publication, you’ll understand the terms onboarding and crossboarding, which mean to help new starters to get up to speed as quickly as possible whether they are entirely new to the business or switching departments.
So what is “Offboarding”? This a programme put in place for when employees leave a business to ensure that all the information, contacts and systems they have access to are returned to the business, and operational disruption is minimised. This is key not only to support the individual(s) leaving and their colleagues, but also to ensure that security, processes and client relationships are not impacted.
To do this, there are certain tasks that need to be arranged, like exit interviews, a timeline of what happens when and communication with clients and colleagues. It's also important to make sure a proper checklist of all company assets is completed by the leaver.
So let’s go through each step.
When to start
Offboarding should begin after an individual is given notice of redundancy or once they have resigned. Discussions with HR should take place at this point so that the necessary actions can be taken.
You should create a list of all client contracts, know where company materials are stored and begin updating the IT system to reflect forthcoming changes. The sooner this process is started, the better, as it can be a lengthy process, with many steps to take. As part of this, leavers should be provided with a timeline and kept up to date on progress. On this timeline will be several dates including any handover of work or customer responsibilities, client communications, the last day in the office and the final exit interview that procures their return of company assets.
Depending on the level of access they have, departing employees may need to be transferred or removed from some systems before they leave. There is often a period where they still need full access while their responsibilities are being brought to an end.
On the employee’s last day, their email account should be terminated. This could mean forwarding to another email account or turning off access entirely. The leaver should also return all company property including laptops, mobile phones, tablets, key cards and any other hardware issued by the company.
The exit interview
Good practice would be to underake an exit interview when an individual leaves any business. However, with redundancies, indivudals are more likely to decline the offer, but you should continue to give anyone who leaves the opportunity to provide feedback on the business.
When conducting any kind of exit interview - formal or informal - it's essential to ask open ended questions which enable the departing person to express themselves fully, rather than leading them on to an answer you are expecting. You can conduct these interviews yourself or get HR to do this on your behalf. If you choose someone else, however, you must ensure they understand exactly what it is you want from the process.
You can use a number of tools and techniques when conducting an exit interview such as a questionnaire, face-to-face interview, telephone interview, or a simple exit survey but no matter which method you use, always ask the person being interviewed if there is anything else they would like to tell you. You may hear details that will help with any future plans or just gain some data that you can store for future reference.
Employers must recognise that an exit interview is not only a time to gather information but also a chance to manage the sense of loss a person may experience when they leave. By this point, you should have already made the departers aware of any support that you have made available to them after they leave, such as outplacement support and also to remind them of any post employment restrictions.
Communicating with others
We’ve discussed at length how to support the departer, but what about the people they’re leaving behind?
Telling colleagues that someone is leaving can be hard, so it's important to do this in a timely and dignified manner. Many people find redundancies especially difficult to deal with emotionally and it is vital that colleagues are supportive. They may be anxious that their own roles are in danger so it’s important to be transparent with them about why the redundancies have been made and what it means for them. Ensure that your staff know where they can go for advice or support if needed.
Another stakeholder to consider is customers who may have had a strong relationship with the departing member of staff. Forwarding any emails sent to the departing employee's email account to another member of staff will mean that any urgent emails are not missed, but it is important to ensure that all contacts are notified promptly of the change, and any commitments are acknowledged and kept.
Offboarding, done properly, can help minimise the impact caused by redundancies not just for your business, but for customers, remaining employees and the leaver themselves. Put your programme in place today.
