People remember how they left a company, and they tell others. A tidy exit protects your data, keeps the work moving, and leaves the door open for them to come back.
Why it matters
A messy exit costs more than it looks. Work stalls because nobody knows where the files are. Access stays open for weeks. Kit goes missing. And a good person tells their friends the last month was miserable.
When notice is given
- Say thank you first. Before the logistics. How you take the news is what they will remember.
- Agree the last day in writing. And check the notice period and any leave owed against their contract.
- Tell the team, together. Agree with the person what is said and when, so nobody hears it as gossip.
- Name who picks up the work. Even if it is temporary. Work with no owner stops.
The handover
- A written list of what they own. Projects, customers, regular tasks, and where each one stands.
- Where things live. Files, passwords held for shared accounts, and contacts outside the company.
- Time with the successor. Booked meetings, not a document left in a folder.
- What only they know. Ask directly: “What will we find out the hard way after you leave?”
The last day
- Access off at the end of the day. Every system, not only email. Shared accounts get new passwords.
- Kit returned and logged. Laptop, phone, cards, keys.
- Final pay checked. Last salary, leave owed and anything else due under their contract and local law.
- A real goodbye. The team gets to say it. A quiet logout at five is not one.
The exit conversation
Ask why they are leaving, and listen. People are more open once the decision is made. Keep it short and ask the same few questions every time, so you can compare answers over a year:
- What made you start looking?
- What would have made you stay?
- What should we keep doing?
Have someone other than their manager hold the conversation if you can. Then do something with the answers. If three people from one team name the same problem, it is not a coincidence.
It is worth the effort. In a 2019 Gallup study of US workers, 52% of people who chose to leave said their manager or organisation could have done something to keep them, and 51% said nobody had talked with them about how they felt about their job in the three months before they left. Harvard Business Review calls the exit interview an “underused practice” that “can be a powerful tool for retention”.
When the company ends it
When someone is dismissed or made redundant, the same checklist applies, with more care. Follow the process your contracts and local law require, and take advice if you are unsure. Tell the person face to face, in private, with a second person present where that is the practice. Give them the key facts in writing: last day, what they will be paid, and who to contact with questions.
Plan access and handover before the conversation, not after, but do not let the logistics take over. People remember being treated with respect long after they forget the detail. Tell the team what they need to know, briefly and without blame.
After they go
Keep the records the law where they worked requires, for as long as it requires, and no longer. The rules differ by country, so check yours. Send a short note a month later. It costs a minute and people remember it.