Losing a team member is never easy. Even if the situation isn’t toxic, it can leave the rest of your team feeling shocked. Without the right transition, things can get chaotic. It’s essential to plan to ease these feelings when you lose a team member. When the dynamic changes in your department, you’ll need to do everything you can to ensure everyone on your team is in a good place. Here are some tips for a smooth transition when an employee leaves your company.
Be Transparent
The first step is to ensure that you’re communicating properly with the rest of your team. Regardless of the circumstances behind the person leaving, be professional when discussing the situation. Answer questions as honestly as possible, but do keep confidentiality in mind. The sooner you discuss what’s happening with your team, the sooner everyone can feel more comfortable getting back to work.
Create a Hand-Off Plan
Next, make sure you have a plan in place to hand off any work the exiting employee handles. You can talk to the departing employee about the people with the right skills to handle various aspects of their jobs and create a plan for training and transitioning before their last day.
Hold Regular Check-Ins
Make sure you’re still communicating regularly with your existing team. Through the course of the transition, they may have questions or concerns, and you need to address them properly before they spiral out of control. It’s also a good idea to get a temperature on your current team to address any dissatisfaction they might be feeling as well.
Hire Extra Help
Probably the most tangible way to help your team through the transition is to hire additional help. If you’re not ready to hire a total replacement, a staffing partner can place a temporary associate to help out with extra work. Then, when you’re ready to hire a full-time employee, you can also work with your agency to find you the perfect fit.
Are you ready to hire your next employee? Call the team at NRI Staffing to help you find a replacement or extra help today.
