What to Do When an Employee Resigns on Short Notice

When an Employee Resigns—Next Steps

With Florida being an at-will state, employees are free to resign at will on short notice or distressingly without any notice period at all! For other states, employment contracts dictate a one-week notice period.

As an employer, the thought of losing your best employee can be nerve-wracking. The case is different for small and medium enterprises. In their case, employee departures significantly impact both the employer and remaining employees, mainly because of the workload burden.

While employee resignation is inescapable, the process does not need to be unpleasant. We’ve prepared this guide to inform employers how to handle the situation when an employee resigns.

Reasons for Employee Resignation

As an employer, you must know how costly staff turnover can be, so you’ll most likely strive to keep your workforce happy to prevent these difficulties. For this reason, when an employee hands in their letter of resignation on short notice, you wonder what could have gone wrong. Well, here are some of the main reasons why an employee leaves their organization.

• When they feel undervalued
• For lack of work-life balance
• No prospects of a promotion
• Change in leadership
• Toxic workplace
• Personal reasons such as moving to another country or educational reasons
• Switching careers

What to Do When an Employee Resigns

It is your responsibility as an employer to handle the employee resignation process professionally for a smooth transition. Here’s what you should do when an employee resigns on short notice.

1. React calmly

As a leader, even if your employee quits on short notice, you must react calmly and professionally. While it is okay to sometimes express your shock, make sure to respect their decision and show empathy. Remember, although the news may have hit you hard, chances are it was also challenging for your employee to break such information.

Since the employee’s decision was abrupt, it would be best to discuss the transition plan. Also, how to announce their resignation to the team members. If you live in an at-will state, the best thing would be to determine if they would be willing to stay until the transition is complete.

2. Assess your legal obligations

The next step after your staff decides to quit should be an assessment of your legal obligations. Some of these obligations include:

• Paying their salaries
• If applicable, hand out their benefits
• Disburse all bonuses
• Hand out all notices, e.g., the workers’ compensation notice
• Review all NDAs and any other documentation regarding your company’s intellectual property

3. Plan the transition process

A smooth transition relies heavily on collaboration and effective communication. Therefore, make sure you create a comprehensive list of all the employees’ roles, current projects, and direct clients. This to-do list should also address how to share the news with the said clients and suppliers.

You must also plan how the departing employee will transfer knowledge to the remaining or incoming employees. The transition should entail rigorous training of the replacement staff on all roles and expectations. Do not leave anything out, including any specific software program that only the exiting employee knows how to utilize.

4. Notify the remaining employees

While it is likely that the departing employee may have shared their decision with other employees, they must receive official communication. Begin by informing the immediate colleagues who’ll most likely be directly involved in the transition plan. Afterward, it would be best to send an email informing other employees.

5. Organize an exit interview

An exit interview is yet another crucial step you must carry out before your employee leaves the organization. This interview provides insights into both the employee experience and your future company strategies. Usually, it is the in-house HR that conducts the interview. Alternatively, you may wish to work with an employment agency.

Find out their reasons for leaving, their experience and their view of the work environment. It would help if you also asked for recommendations on improving their role or company in general.

While it may be tempting to propose a counteroffer, you must gauge whether this decision will do more harm than good. Remember, better pay may not be a sufficient incentive if it fails to address the reasons behind their departure, such as career growth or work/life balance.

6. Wish them well

Your employee’s resignation will likely cause disruption, especially in these current turbulent times. Despite that, you shouldn’t burn any bridges. Since many employees are still working remotely, consider planning a virtual farewell party and sending a card. Make sure the transition is amicable.

7. Evaluate the necessity for a new hire

The final thing to do when an employee resigns is to evaluate whether you’ll need to hire a replacement. Essentially, even before the employee leaves, you should come up with a succession plan. Once you determine that their workload is hectic, it would help if you considered hiring a temporary employee through a trusted Fort Lauderdale staffing agency.

Achieve a Smooth Employee Transition With PrideStaff

If you’re looking for staffing agencies in Fort Lauderdale that will understand your company’s needs, look no further than PrideStaff Fort Lauderdale agency. We are an excellent call center staffing agency that offers both Administrative and Clerical Staffing services. Our team has extensive experience in recruitment processes, including training new hires and acquiring the best talent. To learn about our specialized services, call us at 754-800-2850 to schedule your appointment today!