How To Announce The Resignation Of An Employee?
How To Announce The Resignation Of An Employee?
At work, just like in life, people come and go, and it is normal for team members to leave the business or working environment. While it can be scary to see several members of a department leave at once, breaking the news of their departure shouldn't be daunting. That is why we are here to help you.
How you handle a team member leaving is essential, and it can affect your employees more than the departure itself. Even if it may not seem like it, offboarding is still part of your employee engagement strategies. In this article, we’ll discuss how best you can announce employee resignation to the rest of the employees.
Why you should announce the resignation of an employee
When an employee is leaving for another company, or they’re retiring, you must communicate the departure to their coworkers. This will give them enough time to say their goodbyes while also knowing how to handle the employee’s tasks until their replacement is found. It’s critical to announce the staff resignation in good time so that your team knows when exactly the employee is leaving and whether there’s a farewell party for them.
Apart from that, regardless of whether you make the employee resignation announcement, word will get out to your team somehow. It’s better to stay on top of the situation by giving the team the correct information about the employee’s departure instead of waiting to deal with the negative news that breeds uncertainty.
How to announce an employee is leaving the company
There are a couple of ways you can announce an employee leaving your organization. You could call a meeting (depending on the size of the company) or send an email with all the necessary information to your team. The latter is probably the easiest way, as you can get through to everyone in the company without the hassle of planning a meeting which can be time-consuming.
With the help of email templates, you can easily compose an email announcing the employee’s resignation. All you need to include in the email is the name of the departing employee, employee experience, who will take over the said employee’s tasks in the short term, and when the employee is leaving. This saves time compared to holding large meetings, which will also put the departing employee on the spot.
What should be included in the email announcement
For an employee departure email to be effective, it has to cover the following key areas:
- Direct the announcement to the relevant audience. If the member who’s leaving is well-known by everyone in the company, you can send the email to all employees. If not, direct the communication to members of their department only. That way, you keep everything categorized, and no one gets distracted by news of the departure of an employee that they’ve never interacted with.
- Be precise. You may be tempted to start the announcement with pompous language when writing a staff resignation email. That shouldn't be the case; go straight to the point and state who the employee is leaving.
- State their date of departure. Once you mention the identity of the resigning employee without announcing the date that they’re leaving, you put the employee in a precarious position. They will have to answer questions about their departure date, which can be massively annoying.
- Incorporate the details of their departure where appropriate. You can include the circumstances of the employee’s resignation and mention what’s next for them. However, this should only be done at the leaving employee’s discretion. If the employee is being laid off, don't mention that in the announcement email.
- Talk about the next course of action. With one employee leaving, there’s bound to be some uncertainty about their tasks and if there’s a replacement. Discuss the next steps, and inform the team whether you’ve already hired a replacement or are in the process of hiring one. Also, ensure to appropriately delegate the employee’s tasks to other team members as you seek to fill the vacant position.
- Where relevant, invite the team to a farewell event. If you’re hosting a farewell party for the employee, make sure to include the date, time, and venue for the event in the announcement email.
- Acknowledge them. You must appreciate the employee for the job they’ve done for the period they worked in your organization. Many workers don't feel valued, and by showing your gratitude in the employee resignation announcement email, other team members will also understand that you respect and recognize the work they do.
- Sign off. Nothing authenticates the announcement better than your name and official signature in the email. Ensure that your signature accompanies your name for formality purposes.
Sample Email templates
Regardless of the circumstances, writing an employee resignation email can be tricky if you don’t know what to say. Here are some email templates to guide you through.
Template 1
Dear (company/department name) staff,
I’m writing to notify you that (name of employee) is leaving the (name of company) on (date of departure). (First name of employee) has been an integral part of the organization, and they’ve chosen to move to (name of the place/organization they’re moving to). Until we hire a replacement, kindly direct all your queries to (name of the new person in charge).
We appreciate all the hard work (name of the employee) has done over the past (duration of the employee’s tenure at the organization), and (list their unique skills/talents) will be deeply missed. We will also host a farewell event for (name of the person leaving) at (location) on (time and date). I would like to personally thank (name of employee) and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Sincerely,
(your signature)
(Your name and title)
Template 2
Dear (company/department name) staff,
It’s with sadness I'm writing to announce that (name of employee) will be leaving the (name of company) effective (date of departure) to pursue other interests. (First name of employee) has been with us for the past (how long they worked), and they will be hard to replace.
We would like to wish (name of employee) all the very best in the future. We will also host a farewell event on (date and time) at (location). In the interim, (name of the person in charge) will be in charge if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
(your signature)
(Your name and title)
Employee Resignation Checklist
When an employee resigns from the company, there are several activities that need to be completed within the HR function. Missing one item can result in severe consequences for the company.
The employee resignation checklist, also known as the employee offboarding checklist, has many different elements. Here are some of the most common.
1. Ask for a formal resignation letter
When an employee wants to leave the company or go into retirement, it is important for the HR department to ask for a formal resignation letter with their final date of employment stated. There are two reasons that make having a letter crucial.
First, it gives you a document to add to your employee's personnel file that says the worker initiated the termination and that they were not let go due to any disciplinary action.
Second, a resignation letter protects the company from any unemployment claims and other charges of impropriety.
2. Reclaim company property
When an employee leaves the company, it is important to ensure that they return any company-owned assets in their possession. This can include laptops, mobile phones, uniforms, id cards, name badges, nameplates, and keys.
3. Conduct an exit interview
An exit interview is essential to a successful employee resignation process. Conducting exit interviews allow the company's HR team to understand why the employee is leaving, what their views and opinions of the organization are, and whether they have any ideas for improvements.
4. Provide a separation notice
Some federal and state laws require companies to provide a separation notice for unemployment purposes. The notice should contain the final date of employment and the reason why the employee is leaving.
Depending on the number of employees, federal law might require you to also provide information on the employee's retirement and health benefits, including continuing health insurance.
5. Facilitate transfer of knowledge
Before an employee leaves, schedule some time for the departing worker and the new employee to get together. It will also give the departing employee time to transfer knowledge to their successor, including factors relating to the job that might not be covered in the employee handbook or during the onboarding process. According to Keller Headhunters, this step is crucial in ensuring a smooth transition for the new employee and maintaining the productivity of the team.
Summary
Generally, goodbyes are challenging, and they’re a bit more sensitive in the work setting. Ensure you communicate effectively with your team to avoid any misconceptions about an employee's departure by sending an announcement as soon as possible.