HR professionals are no doubt already familiar with many of the intricacies [1] of on and offboarding employees. That said, offboarding employees is inherently a bit different than simply the reverse of onboarding, although the net [2] outcome will be similar. Offboarding constitutes the end of the employee lifecycle, and when done properly, should make for a well-coordinated conclusion to an employee’s experience. We’ve compiled a few recommendations below for offboarding employees, and we encourage you to learn and grow as you continue your career in HR.

As mentioned in our onboarding piece, manager engagement is critical. In the same way that manager involvement is important during onboarding, so too is it valuable during offboarding. Ensure that managers are closely in touch with employees during the offboarding process, and that a clear line of communication is kept between employee and manager.

It’s important to have processes in place for each step of the offboarding process, but one step should include the classic “exit interview.” Although goals vary for exit interviews across corporations, a good exit interview should allow an employee to give honest feedback on the company and the manager, and should allow HR professionals to better understand the employee experience and improve employee retention [3] in the future.

Finally, remember that the logistics [4] of offboarding are often the most important. Ensure that an employee has returned their assets to the company, and that any loose odds and ends are appropriately tied off.

Armed with the recommendations above, the offboarding process should be a smooth one; joining and departing employees should enter and leave the organization with a sense of comfort.