An employee’s departure needs clear ownership and reliable handoffs. I have seen companies handle departures well and others handle them badly, and the difference is often basic preparation. Good offboarding is boring: the person knows their final date, what happens to pay and benefits, how unused PTO is handled, and where to get information about retirement accounts. Equipment returns, outstanding expenses, employment verification, and any exit survey should have clear instructions, with a named contact when something goes wrong.
Give the employee one clear explanation of the remaining steps, with dates and a contact who can resolve questions across departments. Coordinate the handover of ongoing work so clients and colleagues know who takes over. Clear answers and reliable follow-through matter whether someone resigns, a contract ends, or the business has to reduce staff.
Projects disappear, clients change direction, and companies sometimes make decisions that cost people their jobs. How leadership behaves then tells employees more than the careers page does. Communicate what you can, have the uncomfortable conversation directly, and give managers enough information to answer reasonable questions. Make sure HR processes work and people are paid correctly and on time. You may not be able to make a bad situation good, but you can keep it from becoming disrespectful.
This post is part of my 25 lessons from 25 years in consulting series, exploring what it takes to build a consulting firm that delivers for clients and supports the people doing the work.
From leadership and employee experience to sales and delivery, the series comes back to one idea: a consulting company should be its own best client.
Have a lesson of your own? Share what has worked, what hasn’t, or what you wish more consulting firms understood in the comments.