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November 26, 2023
When we talk about recruitment, most of our focus (understandably) lies at the start of the employee experience. We talk about the application process, the interview stages and onboarding. We want to start each employee journey off on the right note and create loyal, dedicated employees who will sing our praises and help us attract yet more talent.
And although onboarding is incredibly important, it is so readily discussed that all too often, the topic of employee offboarding is left untouched.
Offboarding, the process of transitioning employees out of the organisation, is something that can directly impact your recruitment efforts. Whether the employee in question is leaving willingly to pursue a new opportunity, or being let go as the result of redundancy, it’s important to treat this period sensitively and carefully. Done right, you can turn a disappointing outcome into a more positive one, even paving the way for greater company success.
Let’s discuss offboarding and how it can directly affect your company’s ability to attract, and retain top talent.
Related: How to Successfully Onboard New Employees
Leaving a company has the potential to be extremely uncomfortable. As a manager, you may feel frustrated that you are having to fill another vacancy, or upset that you have lost a unique set of skills that will be hard to replace. The employee in question might feel reluctant to communicate and eager to get their notice period out of the way — but when handled correctly, the offboarding process and the exit interview can leave both parties feeling fairly positive. And you might even end up with a brand advocate.
When an employee is offboarded in the right way, they leave on a good note and they are more likely to speak positively about their former employer. They are less inclined to leave your company poor reviews on sites such as Glassdoor and they might even stay connected on LinkedIn, sharing your updates and news with their connections.
It is always more valuable to have employees leave your company on a good note — it helps to maintain a positive employer brand, which will have a direct bearing on your future recruitment efforts. If you need evidence to back this up, you can look to a CareerBuilder study, which found that 67% of job seekers would accept a lower salary if the company had glowing online reviews.
We’re living in an increasingly connected world. It might surprise you to know how many candidates are connected with your employees, or former employees, on LinkedIn. Applicants do their research — they are making a big decision when it comes to applying for, and accepting, a job, and they want to make sure they get it right. So many reach out to mutual connections for insights and opinions. You want these opinions to be good!
Bad reputations spread like a virus. If an employee leaves on a bad note, they won’t be in a rush to recommend your company to a friend. However, employees who leave after a well-thought-out, positive offboarding may be more inclined to share your job adverts and recommend you to connections. This can ultimately result in a pipeline of high-quality referrals, reducing recruitment costs.
Boomerang employees are employees that leave but return to the company at a later date. A good offboarding process increases the odds of top performers coming back, which is a positive for a number of reasons — it allows for faster onboarding, you already know they will be a good fit and you are familiar with their strengths. What’s more, rehiring an employee expresses confidence in them, which will likely lead to increased employee loyalty and morale.
Offboarding is a topic we need to discuss more, and one that is underrated when it comes to recruitment. Offboarding ensures a smooth and professional exit for departing employees, but it can also open doors for great employees in the future.
Since we launched in 2004, we’ve helped organisations large and small, across a range of sectors, hire the best and brightest. As a recruitment agency, we go above and beyond to fill your vacancy with talent that aligns with your needs in terms of skills, strengths and culture fit. To see how we can help you, get in touch today.
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