Strategic Plan for Employee Departure
Priorities and Steps to Mitigate Impact of Employee’s Rapid Departure
The first step is the identification of someone to shadow the exiting employee. Despite the manager’s exemplary performance and holding a unique position, the rapid departure would mean finding someone competent enough within the existing staff to learn what is required in the exiting manager’s job. This would allow the opportunity to find a replacement in the event the person taking the exiting manager’s responsibilities will not meet expectations (Fallon, 2015). The primary objective of putting an existing competent manager in the position being left vacant is to have the new manager serve as a conduit of information to the rest of the organization. Also, the new manager can serve as a point person for the organization as a whole after the exit of the previous manager (Fallon, 2015). Another critical step in this situation would be the communication of the organization’s plans with the remaining staff. Any employee’s departure from an organization affects remaining employees in one way or another. Presumably, the remaining staff’s morale could be adversely affected, or some of their roles could be changed completely. Thus, being transparent with the remaining staff about changes such as the high-performing manager’s departure is paramount during this time. This could entail complimenting the remaining team’s efforts on how well they are working together and reinforcing the level of trust the organization has in them. It would also be essential to respond to concerns raised by staff during such a period.
A crucial step would be to request the departing manager’s assistance. It is always vital for exiting employees to assist those they will leave behind in taking over their jobs once they leave. More often than not, employers find it difficult to collect the knowledge held by a leaving employee and passing it on to other staff members. In this situation, I would consider asking the exiting manager specific questions on whether he can outline his day-to-day tasks and routine in easy and understandable steps, the top projects he is currently involved in that ought to be picked up once he leaves, necessary files or contacts to facilitate a seamless transition on the projects, and whether he can provide insight and guidance on the direction he expected to take with the projects had he stayed in the company. Moreover, it would be essential to establish proper off-boarding policies and procedures including the return of company documents, information, and electronic equipment, as well as doing an information technology audit to review the leaving manager’s email activity and network access to prevent anomalies (Lister, 2018).
Recruitment Plan to Fill the Managerial Position
The recruitment plan to fill the managerial position would entail five crucial steps. First, the organization will prepare a compelling job description including the title of the vacant post, information about the company, contribution expected from applicants, qualifications, and how to apply (Business Development Bank of Canada, n.d.). Second would be the promotion of the ad using the right recruitment tools such as online job boards, social media sites such as LinkedIn, advertising, employment agencies, company’s website, and word of mouth. Third, the company will do a first screening of the applicants through email or telephone, standardized testing, and ask to see their portfolio. Subsequently, interviews will be conducted with the best candidates to confirm their qualifications and to determine whether the vacant position matches their expectations (Business Development Bank of Canada, n.d.). The interviews would also help to determine whether the applicants fit in with the company’s culture. The final step will be offering the job to the selected front-runner.
Pre-Boarding Checklist
- Schedule, job duties, and expectations
- Call employee once he/she accepts the job offer
- Email employee the link to company’s website with organizational expectations
- Email department to announce the new employee
- Put together information to provide to the employee on day one.
- Plan the general schedule of employees
- Assign a mentor
- Plan first responsibility or assignment
- Work Environment
- Avail, clean, and organize employee’s workspace
- Obtain ID and badge if necessary
- Order or purchase office supplies
- Prepare business cards
- Avail workplace accommodation if requested by the employee.
- Technology
- Allow access to company ITS accounts
- Purchase computer and software for employee
- Allow access to company drives
- Cross-check employee’s phone number and email address
- Learning and Development
- Identify mandated training due dates
- Outline optional training for employee
Onboarding Plan
| Plan | |
| By 30 Days | · Learn the tools: content management system
· Familiarize with the company’s culture: attend company values training · Learn company’s services: participate in service demos · Complete a small project: Learn social media platforms |
| By 90 Days | · Complete a big project: plan for conference activities.
· Work with other managers: collaborate with HR and PR teams to advance organization’s opportunities. · Familiarize with routine company processes: Attend weekly meetings, perform required daily tasks. |
| By 180 Days
|
· Independently complete a project: coordinate webinar development and come up with an execution plan.
· Be able to juggle all responsibilities: manage all duties assigned. |
To prevent the situation, the company should have come up with a system that keeps track of the skills in the organization. With such as policy, in the event an employee leaves, the organization is clear about what should be looked for when replacing them. To be more effective, the organization should consider keeping track of critical skills using a Skills Matrix.
References
Business Development Bank of Canada. (n.d.). 5-step recruitment plan for small businesses. Retrieved from https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/employees/recruit/pages/recruiting-plans-small-businesses.aspx
Fallon, N. (2015, August 26). Exiting Employee? 5 Steps to a Smooth Transition. Retrieved from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8326-staffing-transition.html
Lister, C. (2018, March 04). 3 Ways to Mitigate Insider Threat Risk Prior to an Employee’s Departure. Retrieved from https://ctovision.com/3-ways-mitigate-insider-threat-risk-prior-employees-departure/