Offboarding: Why 'Green' Layoffs Strengthen Brands

ayshakhatunasha

In one of our studies , we at Administrative Resource asked ourselves: is the offboarding culture developed in Belarusian companies? The results showed that 88% of participants believe that the offboarding culture is not developed. It is noteworthy that the answers were close to the virtual phone number service opinion of 71% of respondents from different countries, who also believe that the offboarding process is not organized in their companies.

The average duration of employment relationships in the modern world is 2-5 years. The ability to end employment relationships with an employee in an "ecological" manner is equally important for developing a company's brand and forming its reputation, as is hiring or onboarding. We talked about the nuances of offboarding with our expert, Alla Isaeva, founder of the consulting company "Administrative Resource".

Offboarding: Why “Green” Dismissal Strengthens Brands. Photo 1
"The topic is not simple, it is 'delicate'. Companies do not like to talk about staff turnover and the reasons for employee dismissal. The process of parting with employees is still an ignored part of the employee's life cycle in the company," says Alla Isaeva, founder of the consulting company Administrative Resource.

Dismissal is always an emotionally costly process, whether you part with an employee by your own decision or it is their desire. The company's team also reflects on the departure of a colleague. An organized offboarding process allows you to constructively approach the end of employment relations, choose an algorithm of actions depending on a specific case, minimize possible negative aspects of the dismissal process and outline the prospects for relations with the former employee in the future.

Prepare for the resignation conversation
Such a conversation is stressful not only for the employee, but also for management. Upon hearing about the dismissal, some employees become very upset, while others become aggressive. Let them vent their emotions. Keep the conversation positive and constructive. Allow the employee to spend part of their working time looking for a job or offer help from the HR department if the company has the resources. Constructive behavior training in conflict situations will help management to confidently and correctly conduct such a conversation.



An employee's decision to quit of their own accord, even if it is someone you don't want to lose, must be understood and accepted.
Agree on the terms of dismissal. Production needs may require the employee to complete projects or find a replacement, but such conditions should always be discussed and agreed upon from the position of respect for the interests of all participants.

Explain the dismissal procedure step by step
Each company may have its own “rider” of what equipment or documents to hand over, what cases to transfer, what documents to sign, etc. Inform the employee of the contact person responsible for whom to contact for help and advice on the procedure.

It is necessary to control the outgoing employee's access to confidential information in order to prevent possible leakage of commercial secrets or confidential company data.

Create a handover plan
Offboarding: Why “Green” Dismissal Strengthens Brands. Photo 2
Develop a meeting or work consultation plan that will help the departing employee smoothly transfer responsibilities and knowledge to colleagues. This will not only ensure continuity after the employee leaves, but will also make the employee feel important until his or her last day on the job.