How to prepare for employee to leave

21 Comments

1. KatFebruary 10,2023 at 8:51PM UTC

   Now that she's been disciplined, what are the next steps in the process to terminate her? Is there an improvement plan process? Check with HR on this. They should be able to give you a time frame on how long it would take until final termination. If there's not a policy, then construct an improvement plan with the employee and HR. The plan should include performance expectations and a time frame for meeting those expectations. If those goals aren't met by say 3 months,(or she gets disciplined again) then she gets terminated. While you can prepare for the employee's possible termination by getting together a PD and doing the preliminary work to get a replacement approved, you can't really do anything until her status is officially decided. Don't hire someone new and under no circumstances have the problematic employee train a new person. That's a recipe for disaster. Make a game plan for dividing up her work (or hiring a temp) if/when she leaves until you can get a replacement in.

2. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 9:28PM UTC

   Thank you. The next step is another write-up and then show her the door. She’s smart and knows this so she’s behaving. She finally stopped snapping at me and making snarky comments. She’s been going around other dept asking for a job. Before if things didn’t go her way, she would go off on me. I really hope she gets a new job soon, preferably outside. I had her train others but I don’t think she did it fully.

3. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 9:31PM UTC

   thank you. You’re right. I had her train a couple other employees. I just don’t think she did it fully. I truly hope she leaves soon. Hopefully by then, things will go back to normal.

4. AnonymousFebruary 11,2023 at 2:57PM UTC

   One detail I feel is missing that could be important. Is this person highly specialized where cross training is a significant undertaking (multi year investment for someone to perform the job)? If so, other than keeping the lights on in that space, the expectation to cross train fully could be unrealistic.

   Otherwise, you could hold her accountable for not sufficiently cross training by redistributing workloads. If the person who assumes some of her responsibilities struggles, you can then tell the employee her cross training was not sufficiently delivered, request she cross train again with starting a PIP on this non deliverable, and manage her out. The faster the better for you. You’re going to be impacted, better to handle quickly and move on with work redistribution.

5. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 9:50PM UTC

   I say don't taint the well. Do not have her train anyone. Ever. She's angry and disgruntled.

   Have your staff cross train among themselves for better coverage but leave this person alone.

6. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 10:16PM UTC

   100%agreed. That’s what started the whole mess. When I took over, I had them cross train each other. She did but not fully. After that, it was just 1 things after another. I think I’m just going to wait for her to leave and then deal with it. Thank you.

7. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 11:16PM UTC

   I totally agree. You don't want to cause your team anymore disruption by this person.

8. AnonymousFebruary 10,2023 at 10:54PM UTC

   If your description is accurate, you have three options:

   1)Assist your employee in getting a transfer or a new job.

   2)Fire your employee. The discipline issue and the continuing anger would seem to be sufficient cause, especially if you work in an at-will employment state which allows employers broad latitude in terminating workers.

   3)Negotiated departure: essentially, your company pays your employee to leave the company.

   Decide on a course of action with senior management and HR. If your employee is in fact problematic and angry, I’d tend toward firing.

   I would not allow this disgruntled employee to train a new staff member.

9. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistFebruary 11,2023 at 1:45AM UTC

   Start preparing for her departure. Make sure you have a job description written and approved (if needed) to be posted the second you can do so to start recruiting for her replacement.

10. AnonymousFebruary 11,2023 at 3:55AM UTC

    Cross train, cross train, cross train and then switch duties between employees so everyone is acclimated to each others position.

11. AnonymousFebruary 11,2023 at 2:42PM UTC

    This!!! You should be requiring cross training already as employee development and measuring it. Make it an employee goal and hold them accountable for it. This gives you coverage in case anything unexpected happens. You can also be able to claim you have an active employee development plan as part of your own goals.

12. Gretchen SkalkaFebruary 11,2023 at 1:48PM UTC

    If disciplinary action has been taken and documented, were next steps a part of that?

    A PIP, perhaps?

    There should be no limbo or gray areas with this or waiting to see what she may or may not do.

    This basically allows her behavior or fear of her behavior to hold you, the team and the company hostage waiting on 'what if'.

    You're her manager, so you can set the table here.

    If she has value for the team and company, perhaps there are remediation efforts that can be tapped.

    Not knowing what the disciplinary action was for makes it challenging to suggest any course of action except to encourage continued documentation, clear actionable planning toward a mutually beneficial goal and follow up all along the way.

13. AnonymousFebruary 11,2023 at 4:52PM UTC

    We had someone who, on more than one occasion, threatened to leave. He did this one too many times. The manager of the team and BP for the team called me. After conferring a bit with legal, we called his bluff. And we found a way to make it work. Sounds like this person is toxic and while you may feel that you can’t lose a person on your team, you may be surprised.

14. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistFebruary 11,2023 at 11:01PM UTC

    An appropriate response to someone threatening to leave: "I would never stand in your way. Good luck in your new job." End of.

15. AnonymousFebruary 11,2023 at 5:26PM UTC

    This happened to me with one that resigned more than once and even left once and wanted to come back, so we hired him back. He kept trying it again. He hoped we would give him a promotion or raise to keep him because, like with you, it was a small office, and he did a lot.

    One thing I learned from this was that you never truly understand how much energy this type of toxicity and drama takes or how much it reduces the entire team's productivity. It wasn't the only time I had increased the whole team's productivity when one toxic member was removed.

16. Barb HansenFebruary 12,2023 at 1:13AM UTC

    You are the manager or the person with hiring authority, right?

    Do what's best for your team.

    Option 1:

    Hire a new employee, train them and then let your difficult employee (the one that was disciplined for your behavior) go.

    Option 2:

    Work with your difficult employee to see if she can be brought back to an even keel.

    if you choose option 2, and she threatens to leave again, then I would work to transition her into another opportunity (inside or outside of the company) as quickly as possible.

    You don't want a disruptive team-member causing more problems cause you'll end up losing your good team members.

17. AnonymousFebruary 12,2023 at 4:30PM UTC

    what is her notice period? can she actually leave within 1 day?

    I would hire a new employee to be on the safe side.

18. AnonymousFebruary 12,2023 at 6:30PM UTC

    Next time she threatens to quit or even before let her know you have accepted her resignation. Memorialize it in writing and set a firm date for her exit. Don't allow her to be on any interviews for her replacement, don't allow her to train a new person. That will taint the new hire and is not the right move. As her manager you should spend a short period of time to knowledge transfer what she is doing before she leaves so that no balls are dropped when she is exiting. Accept her resignation and encourage it give her 2 weeks to transition or find another internal team, that is if HR is okay with that. They are likely not if she is angry and on any kind of PIP. Split up the work that she is doing for the short term across the team and see if anyone on the team wants more to do to get more experience. Advertise her role as soon as possible and check to be sure that it does not expose the company to any legal action if she suggests you are filling her job before she actually quit. You got this!

19. misskelleypFebruary 12,2023 at 9:39PM UTC

    I think you start cross training your team on her work, help the rest of the team get up to speed, and maybe even start the hiring process. If you find someone you think would be great, hire and train them and let this person go. She's clearly not an asset, so showing her the door is the right thing to do. No need to put up with her if she's a problem.

20. AnonymousFebruary 14,2023 at 11:11AM UTC

    Why don't you try to resolve the situation. Work with the employee and turn it around. Build trust and you will reap rewards; burn bridges and you will bear the costs. Forgive the behavior and focus on the good. Take a different perspective be empathetic and show respect.

21. Liz MilneFebruary 20,2023 at 1:05AM UTC

    Don't let an angry bitter person train their replacement: there is no benefit for her doing it, and the new employee will have the worst possible start to their new exciting job! Tell her you accept her offer to leave, remove as many responsibilities from her as possible (again, bitter, no benefit to doing her job properly during her notice period) and allow her to go for interviews etc as she needs to. Make it clear you're happy to see the back of her - while always seeming polite and civil...