Offboarding: Important Questions and Tips
In HR, the focus is often placed on effective onboarding. This means new employees receive a warm welcome, with the aim of integrating them into the company culture as quickly as possible.
That is good, but another important process is often forgotten as a result: offboarding. Why is offboarding at least as important, and what should you know about this process?
What is the impact of a structured offboarding process?
A structured offboarding process leaves a final positive impression on employees who are leaving a company. This is important because employees who depart on good terms are generally more likely to provide positive feedback about a company.
This ensures that a company receives better employee references and that its alumni network grows. All in all, a structured offboarding process benefits a company’s image.
Offboarding in Employer Branding
As mentioned above, a good offboarding process has positive consequences for both the alumni network and employee references. In the current climate, consider, for example, a company’s online reputation.
When an employee has had a good offboarding experience, they might share it on their social media. This, in turn, contributes to a company’s employer branding.
Impact and Opportunities in Company Culture
Unfortunately, not every employee leaves for a pleasant reason. Sometimes, the collaboration between the company and the employee simply didn’t work out as everyone had hoped.
Precisely in these kinds of situations, offboarding is an opportunity for the company to reflect on what went wrong. This might even mark the beginning of a cultural improvement in the workplace.
The Offboarding Checklist
How do you ensure that offboarding runs smoothly? There are a few steps you, as an employer, can take to ensure nothing is overlooked. Consider arranging administrative matters, such as terminating the employment contract.
You also need to arrange a time for the employee to return their company property. Finally, it is important to organise a farewell gathering, where the employee has the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to their colleagues.
You can also engage an HR advisor to seek advice on how to optimise your offboarding.
Offboarding Interviews
Conducting a final interview is also an important part of the offboarding process. As an employer, it is crucial to ask open-ended questions that allow the employee to be honest about their experiences. For example, questions such as: “What were the main reasons for your departure?” or “How would you describe our company culture?”
Legal Considerations
Employers are responsible for terminating the employment contract. This also includes, for example, paying out any remaining holiday days. As an employer, ensure you are well aware of your obligations to avoid legal pitfalls.
Offboarding Remote Employees
Offboarding is also an important process for employees working from home. Be creative here! Company property can, for example, be returned by post, and an online meeting can be organised instead of a physical farewell.
