“It takes many good deeds to build a reputation, And only one bad one to lose it.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Layoffs are hard. The burden they create weighs heavily on the employee AND the employer. If friendships are involved, it’s even harder.

So how can you turn a negative situation into a positive experience?

If employers and HR professionals don’t intentionally create a positive environment for departing employees, it will naturally drift into a negative experience for all parties involved.

What if you could create an environment of positivity that propels departing employees into the next chapter in their career while boosting your employer brand, cultivating business development, and driving referrals and rehires?

Rethinking Your Process and Getting Out of “Negativity Mode”
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This article is intended to challenge you to rethink your entire approach to the employee termination process. The purpose is to help you simplify the process while making it more consultative and uplifting for the employee.

Sadly, most departing employees leave with uncertainty, anxiety, and a stack of paperwork that they have no idea what to do with. They don’t know where to start, or what to do next.

They are in shock, they’re scared, and anxiety sets in quickly. Do you think they are having pleasant thoughts about the company they’ve worked for for so long, or the person that had to deliver that bad news? They are not.

​Like most people, when we’ve performed the same task time after time, we can become numb to the process or to the effect that it has on other people. We do our job and we move on. Very few have been able to approach a repetitive task as if it were their first time doing it.

You check all of the boxes, you smile, you wish them well, you give them the packet… and then they’re gone. You go back to work and all is well. Right?

If we were honest with ourselves, that’s the way we’d prefer it. We would rather get out of an unpleasant situation as fast as possible. We’ve got enough issues in our own lives and the last thing we want to do is deal with someone else’s drama.

However, with some simple procedural shifts and some minor tweaks to your process, you can over deliver for your departing employees and create an environment of positivity and renewal not only for the employee but for yourself and your company as well.

You are the driver of the environment.

You get to set the flow and the process — because if you don’t, your employees will, and we all know what direction that will go.

Planning vs Notifying
Notifying someone of they’re departure from your company is, of course, necessary. However, it doesn’t have to be the focus of the meeting. The notification should be the first step toward achieving the employees next goal in life.

Once you’ve ripped off the bandaid and delivered the “bad news”, it’s time to pour on the optimism and renewed outlook. Nothing accomplishes this better than a plan and a personal guide.

Don’t just let them know you care, SHOW them you care by overwhelming them with support, action, and results.

With a simple “planning centered” process, you can quickly turn that dreaded meeting into a positive experience and, just maybe, enhance a relationship that might otherwise turn sour.

And believe it or not, you can accomplish this with very little effort, but it will have a lasting impact, not only on your departing employee, but on the reputation reviews of your organization.

Here are 8 simple ways that you can accomplish this within your company.

It may seem like a long list. But in short, it’s really quite simple:

Give them a personal guide

Give them a high-level, prioritized plan of action

Give them their exit plan

Give them a health coverage transition plan

Give them a retirement account transition plan

Give them a templated job placement plan of action

Give them a job reference plan

Give them connection resources

Let’s begin:

1. A Personal Advocate to Guide Them
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Let’s face it — good advice and trustworthy guidance is essential when making significant financial and career decisions. Despite this, so many outgoing employees try to go it alone, mainly because they don’t know who to turn to in order to get help.

This is where an employer or an HR Professional can step in and have a significant impact on the lives of outgoing employees that will be remembered for years to come. Not only that, but it can give you a great sense of satisfaction for you, but also great PR for your company.

What’s great about this is that you don’t have to have all of the answers. In fact, you don’t have to have any of the answers! You just need to know where to get the answers and how to effectively communicate that to your employees.

Have contacts and resources available to your outgoing employees in all of these areas:

The coordinator — this should be someone your the company — “the point man”
Exit Advisor — the one who helps them leave with dignity
Health Coverage Consultant
Financial Consultant
Career Consultant
Prioritized task checklists
Online portal to access resources
Just knowing that they have somewhere and someone that they can turn to to get trustworthy advice will lift a heavy burden off of your employees’ backs and reduce the anxiety that comes with major change.

2. The Overall Plan Of Action
Once you established your commitment to your employee’s success after they leave your company, a plan of action and a process puts your commitment into action.

A plan of action and a process facilitate confidence in an otherwise frightening situation. Confidence breeds strength and success. When someone has confidence, their outlook and mindset dramatically shift to the optimistic.

People (and employers) gravitate toward confidence. When separating employees are confident, relevant action is taken and opportunities start presenting themselves.

Give your employees a broad, over-all plan of action that outlines not only the process that’s going to happen, but the support that they’re about to get.

Make it relevant, make it chronological, and make it tangible by providing digital and physical action plans, checklists, guides, and other resources that will get them to where they need to be.

Your “overview” plan of action could include:

What’s going to happen today

Transition Planning — all the details, legalities and fine print
Delivery of all resources — Transition packets, guides, checklists
Professional connections and contacts for each step of the process

What needs to be addressed in the coming days

Severance / Final Pay
Health coverage planning
Retirement account options
Other benefits and accounts

Support provided to you over the coming weeks/months

Insurance and financial consulting
Career consulting
Job references and recommendations

Continued relationship with our company

Alumni group information
Social media invitations
Alumni event schedule
If you take this approach in your offboarding process, you and your departing employees will have an upbeat and confidence inspiring experience, and more importantly, they will know you care.

3. The Transition Plan (the nitty gritty)
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​Working through the separation process with an employee can be emotional and stressful for both the employee and the HR staff.

With confidence you’ve given them in the first two steps, transitioning to the exit process will be less emotional and stressful. They’ve already got their plan of action in place, this is just one of the steps in the transition to get them to the place where they want to go next.

Quickly guide them through your exit process with care and efficiency. Get all of the details completed like final payroll, security & IT, Computers, ID’s, passwords, Agreements, Email, Access, etc.

Don’t belabor this process. Be thorough, but be quick.

4. Health Coverage Planning

Health Coverage during a job transition can be complicated to say the least. It ranks as one of the top two concerns for employees who have been laid off.

Health coverage is one of the areas that you will want to have experts available for your employee to consult with. COBRA may be a good option but other options may be available to them through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare, Medicaid, or other private insurance companies.

Have a true consultant, (not a salesperson) on file for your employee to contact. A detailed analysis of each person’s individual situation could mean thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars in savings for them, both in premiums and medical expenses.

This consultant should be able to help your employees work through the following:

COBRA Options and cost
Deductible and Out of Pocket Expense Credit
Medical Needs and Provider Analysis
Tax Credit and Public Option Availability
Private and short term options when available
Administrative processes and applications
Having a true consultant to guide them through the details and red tape will release yet another burden for the employee and allow them to put more time and focus on other important tasks at hand.

Providing hardcopy and digital resources will certainly enhance your employees confidence in getting these tasks dealt with promptly.

​5. Retirement Accounts Options and Planning
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​Financial plans can get thrown into chaos overnight when employees are facing a layoff. Decisions should not be made on a whim or in a heightened state of emotion.

Many options are available to departing employees and professional counsel should be sought. Providing trusted resources for financial consulting will be an integral part of the offboarding process.

Here are some of the options that employees have with their retirement account(s) when separating from an employer:

Leave the money in the 401(k)
Move the money to an individual retirement account
Move the money to a 401(k) plan with a new employer
Withdraw the money (tax and penalties may apply)
Careful consideration should be taken when deciding what to do with the money in a retirement account which is why professional help is a necessity.

​6. Career Guide

Knowing where to start and what steps to take next is key for employees who suddenly find themselves without a job.

Providing your outgoing employees with the option of a professional guide for their transition will speak volumes about the care and concern you have for the people in your organization.

A professional career guide can give your employees the confidence to take the steps necessary to quickly secure another job.

Some of the areas include:

Career Coaching
Resume and Cover Letter Writing
Job Matching
Networking
Linked In Profile Development
Job application
Interview Preparation
Providing a packet of resources to your departing employees that outlines the suggested steps to take to begin the next phase of their career will be a valuable tool for them to use. Aligning your company with a professional career advisor will make this process effortless on your part.


7. Reference Letter

A pre-written reference letter will speak volumes about your feelings toward the departing employee. It can also help you to maintain a working relationship with those you may have business opportunities with in the future.

The reference letter can be as brief or detailed as you would like it to be.

In your letter, greet the reader and confirm that you know the employee. Describe their job function, title, and dates of employment with your organization.

Include a fair and accurate summary of your observations regarding the performance, conduct, and overall value to your company. Invite the reader to contact you for more details should then need to.

Here are the basics for what to include in your employees reference letter.

Job title
Dates of employment with your business — there might be a start date, promotion start date(s), and a leaving date
Responsibilities in their role
Job performance
Professional conduct
Intrinsic value they brought to the company
Whether they resigned or you dismissed them
Easy access to a reference letter will be much appreciated by your departing employee. Provide a physical copy of their reference letter as well as an electronic copy.

8. Connection Plan

The value of maintaining a connection with former employees is being recognized by more and more organizations all the time. Former employees can be a valuable asset when it comes to potential clientele, brand ambassadorship and future business opportunities.

Keeping in touch can be difficult, especially when your day to day activities dominate your environment. Taking time to keep in touch with former employees is probably the last thing on your mind.

Establishing or outsourcing an Alumni program that is managed by someone other than yourself may be the answer. Work with an expert to establish your connection plan and get it organized.

Social media sites such as linkedin and Facebook can also facilitate a good network of alumni for your ex-employees to engage in. Let them engage, and engage with them. Celebrate their successes, promotions, and accomplishments.

Another good way to stay connected is to have dedicated social events. Nothing says “we appreciate you” like an appreciation event after they’ve left your company. Use them as opportunities for casual networking and recruiting for open positions.

Conclusion
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Implementing a “consultative” transition process instead of a mechanical exit process will ensure that you are giving your departing employees the best opportunity to succeed.

Over delivering for your outgoing employees will not only benefit you the employee, but greatly enhance you and your company’s culture, morale, and overall brand.

Once dreaded “Notification Meetings” will become a chance to engage in a meaningful positive way.

You’ll go from being perceived as the terminator to a valued career consultant and guidance counselor.

​​Your departing employees will love you for it.