What is offboarding in HR?

You probably are familiar with the onboarding process and you apply it in your organization. After all, it’s essential to start all employment relationships the best way possible. However, how much attention do you usually pay to the end of the employment relationship? Most companies forget that this is also an important stage of the employee lifecycle.  

Do you know what is offboarding and why is it so important for organizations? At T2W we have extensive experience in talent management and recruitment, so we are familiar with this concept. In this article, we’ll delve into the offboarding process and how it fits in the employee lifecycle. 

What is offboarding? 

The offboarding process eases the transition of an employee who is about to leave the organization. The main objective is that this change doesn’t create any problems for the employees or the organization. The end of the employment relationship is an inevitable part of the employee lifecycle. For that reason, this process contains the steps necessary to end the relation considering legal and company factors, as well as saying goodbye in a meaningful way.  

Elements of offboarding 

1. Cutting access and retrieving company equipment  

Most employees have access to documents, files and passwords related to the organization. The offboarding process is the perfect opportunity to deactivate the access this person still has and, if necessary, change passwords. It’s also important to unlink that person’s email from company platforms and delete that person’s company email address. 

In addition, some organizations provide special equipment to employees. This is more common today since home office is now the standard and companies pay attention to employee wellness. The equipment could be a cellphone, a laptop, special chairs, a desk, etc. This is the right moment to retrieve all that job equipment.  

2. Area status and work transfer 

Since the employee will leave the company, those tasks and responsibilities will be for somebody else. The offboarding process is the right moment to make that transition as easy as possible. This is especially important for the person who will get the now vacant position. It’s best if the employee entering receives training directly from the person leaving the job. This eases the transition and reduces the adjustment period for the person who gets the position.  

On the other hand, through the offboardong process, the person leaving the job can prepare a comprehensive report on the status of the position. The report must detail all KPIs and other job performance indicators. Likewise, it’s necessary to elaborate a final report regarding the area: the perspective the person has about the positive aspects, as well as possible threats visible in the horizon. This leads us to the next point. 

3. Change suggestions 

Whenever an employee leaves, you are presented with the opportunity to identify flaws in company performance. It’s always important asking what are the aspects this person feels are doing good for the organization and what could be improved. You can also do this with all employees regularly regardless of whether the person is about to leave. However, a person who is leaving won’t be part of the company anymore, so there is space for a more free and sincere opinion. 

The best way to ask for employee opinions are exit surveys. These are the perfect tool to delve deep into the reasons for that person leaving, questions about the difficulty of the tasks in the position, the job environment, relationships with supervisors, strengths of the organization and possible improvements. This helps you make the most out of the end of an employment relationship. 

4. Handing in legal documents 

More often than not, leaving a company requires signing a great number of documents. This can change depending on the reason for the employee leaving. It could be that the person is quitting for a better job opportunity, a dismissal, retirement, etc. In any case, the offboarding process allows the organization to map the specific time when all this paperwork will be completed. 

5. Offering a goodbye message 

Finally, the termination of an employment relationship is an important event for the person leaving and the company. With a good offboarding process, you can create a goodbye message for the person who leaves the organization. This proves how valuable employees really are for the company. This is great to provide a good employee experience.  

Saying goodbye properly is more important than you think. The former employee will have a good impression of the organization and will say wonders about it to everyone. This is great for word-of-mouth marketing and for creating a good employer branding. In the long term, this will help you find candidates more easily. 

Now you know what the offboarding process is. Keep always in mind that the end of the employment relationship is as important as the beginning. These aspects will help you finish this cycle in a successful way for the employee and for the company. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.