7 Things to Ask Employees to Do Before They Resign

When an employee quits your company, they generally give their 2 weeks notice. Many companies use that time to have the employee complete their usual tasks as they look for someone to replace them as quickly as possible. But these employees are also a vessel of information that can help the person that takes their place.
That is why when an employee exits, you should have a list of work you need from them specifically related to their leaving, in order to make sure that the next person is ready for the challenges ahead. These include:

• Have Them Write the Job Description – No one knows the job as well as they do. They should be the one writing about what the job entails, including breaking out the work that they complete, how often they spend performing each task, and anything the incoming staff member may need to know.
• Have Them Consult on the Job Advertisement – You may know what you want in the next staff member, but the exiting staff member is going to have an excellent idea of what their replacement is going to need. Make sure they are consulting on the job advertisement to replace them.
• Survey Their Reasons for Leaving – Employees that are leaving the company can provide you with highly valuable information that can help you avoid retention issues in the future. You can ask them about management, about engagement, and about any of the issues that may have affected their satisfaction levels during their time at your organisation. This information can be very valuable in avoiding similar problems in the future.
• Let Them Create Training Manuals/Advice – If possible, have the employee complete training manuals to help future employees with the role. If it’s not possible to have them complete them manual, then have a staff member that is in charge of training new employees talk to them and see what trainings may need to be completed in order to ensure the next employee is up to speed.
• Have Them Prepare a Schedule and Contacts – The incoming person is going to have a lot of work right away, especially if the previous employee was a great contributor. To help both management and the new employee know what to do next, the exiting employee should create a calendar of events for months in the future, provide contact information for anyone involved, and make sure that the person is ready to step in on day one.
• Make Sure They Reorganise – Everyone has their own organisational system, but before the employee’s last day, everything should be standardised in some way. This is especially important for those that work with computers. Items should be very easy to find and manage, in order to reduce training time for the new employee.
• Let Them Train the Manager – Often during an employee’s tenure, the manager tells them what to do. But before an employee leaves, it may be a good idea to put the manager through a training. By allowing the exiting employee to train the manager, the manager gets a better idea of what their workday was like, knows the job inside and out, and can better prepare the incoming employee.

In addition to the tasks you have them complete, you should also give them a great send-off. Treating employees well affects the entirety of your company’s morale, and is a good practice no matter your industry.
Learn From Every Employee
The key to great recruitment and better employee retention is to always be learning, and often there is a great deal you can learn from an employee that is in the act of leaving your company. Take advantage of every opportunity to get information, and make sure you take advantage of their knowledge of the role.