Is it a healthy practice to allow your team to celebrate the depart of one of your team members? I am referring to a situation of attrition wherein the resource had to quit the organisation for personal or career advancement reasons. I feel that as a people manager, we will be setting a wrong expectation to celebrate by cutting a cake or hosting a party in office premises while the resources are at work.
However they can definitely do such an activity in their personal time outside the office premises. I am definitely happy for the resource as a fellow human however from management stand point, its still an attrition for me and i am allowing an environment that says such practices are encouraged.
Please revert with your thoughts on this regards.
From United States, Palo Alto
1However they can definitely do such an activity in their personal time outside the office premises. I am definitely happy for the resource as a fellow human however from management stand point, its still an attrition for me and i am allowing an environment that says such practices are encouraged.
Please revert with your thoughts on this regards.
From United States, Palo Alto
It may be attrition for the company,but the opening of an opportunity for the exiting employee.
Exit of an employee can cut both ways-delay some work which was being handled by the employee and as well bring in new blood.
A well run company always keeps in mind stand by by for key employees.
Spending ten -fifteen minutes ot organise a small tea party is not going to affect the company output in anyway,rather it will give a good feeling to all that exit is being dealt with in positive way.
At any rate if the company has attrition rates reasons need to be examined holistically and not by avoiding the gesture of tea party/cake cutting etc.
From India, Pune
Exit of an employee can cut both ways-delay some work which was being handled by the employee and as well bring in new blood.
A well run company always keeps in mind stand by by for key employees.
Spending ten -fifteen minutes ot organise a small tea party is not going to affect the company output in anyway,rather it will give a good feeling to all that exit is being dealt with in positive way.
At any rate if the company has attrition rates reasons need to be examined holistically and not by avoiding the gesture of tea party/cake cutting etc.
From India, Pune
Few reasons for leaving the company: better opportunity, higher studies, relocation.
Only the department members/team members will show interest in giving the farewell & the management approves it. Top management involvement is very less.
Giving a farewell is required since the employee is with the company & served the period as per the company requirements.
Farewell should be arranged during break timings (or) lunch hour without disturbing the working environment.
This creates a very good opinion in the mind of the exit employee & there is a chance of showing interest again sometime in future, if there are proper exit formalities & if the employee is treated well during his/her exit.
From India, Vijayawada
Only the department members/team members will show interest in giving the farewell & the management approves it. Top management involvement is very less.
Giving a farewell is required since the employee is with the company & served the period as per the company requirements.
Farewell should be arranged during break timings (or) lunch hour without disturbing the working environment.
This creates a very good opinion in the mind of the exit employee & there is a chance of showing interest again sometime in future, if there are proper exit formalities & if the employee is treated well during his/her exit.
From India, Vijayawada
A farewell party, is a gesture by the company, whereby the company shows that they are happy for his growth and they wish him all the best for his future growth... a 10-15 mins party, will surely not hamper any workings. Its a department function.
Also, if we celebrate birthdays for the employee at work, then why cant we celebrate the exit? Why treat him as an outsider on his last day and close the doors for re-entry? by discouraging just policies, we are creating an atmosphere where the employees after putting their resignation, will feel like getting away from the organisation, as soon as possiable as the organisation starts treating them differently.
Also normally these farewell parties are either just before depature or in lunch or tea time, so not much of working time is wasted?
Kindly do not crub such Good Gestures and Good HR Feeler.
We understand that the HR work is going to look for his replacement, but then what are we expecting, an employee never leaving the organisation and no new blood joining the team???
Regards,
Ashutosh Thakre
From India, Mumbai
Also, if we celebrate birthdays for the employee at work, then why cant we celebrate the exit? Why treat him as an outsider on his last day and close the doors for re-entry? by discouraging just policies, we are creating an atmosphere where the employees after putting their resignation, will feel like getting away from the organisation, as soon as possiable as the organisation starts treating them differently.
Also normally these farewell parties are either just before depature or in lunch or tea time, so not much of working time is wasted?
Kindly do not crub such Good Gestures and Good HR Feeler.
We understand that the HR work is going to look for his replacement, but then what are we expecting, an employee never leaving the organisation and no new blood joining the team???
Regards,
Ashutosh Thakre
From India, Mumbai
HR management Should always encourage good things for the employees and good environment for the company. Giving farewell to employee and wishing him all the success on his corporate journey and growth is something which leverages the happy environment of the company.All that is done for good reasons will reap you the good things in life.
From India, Vadodara
From India, Vadodara
A proactive HR culture is defined not by how you welcome a person into the organization, but by how you bid farewell to a person. Remember, the best ambassadors of any organisation are its past employees. Make their exit memorable. The intangibles you gain is phenomenal.
From Indonesia, Jakarta
From Indonesia, Jakarta
Hello,
Not sure WHY you raised this topic--is it to do with any specific situation you faced or are facing OR just like that?
Like a member mentioned 'the best ambassadors of any organisation are its past employees. Make their exit memorable'--UNLESS of course it's a case of termination, for whatever reason(s).
Also, there's one small, but CRUCIAL, point that you seem to miss out. The to-be-ex-employee joined the Company & NOT any team within the Company. He/she became a part of the team only AFTER joining. And for all one knows, he/she may have worked in multiple teams during his/her tenure.
So whose concern, if at all, is it to give a farewell party to him/her?
Further more, did he/she work for any team Lead or Manager or anyone else OR for the Company all thru?
That's the logic from a purely human relations angle.
From another angle--whatever his/her productivity was during his/her tenure was a contribution to the Company & NOT to either the team or any individual. So whose concern, if at all, need it to be to give a farewell party to him/her? That his/her team is involved in arranging the farewell party is only a projection of the intent of the Company.
From another angle, what's the message the Company is trying to send to the to-be-ex-employee when the Company doesn't partake in any farewell party? To put it bluntly & directly: our 'use for you' is now over & finished & you can go your way now. At the most, a totally impersonal & mechanical 'Thank you'.
Does that feel like the way any HR person ought to suggest or project or practice?
Upto you to figure-out I guess.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Not sure WHY you raised this topic--is it to do with any specific situation you faced or are facing OR just like that?
Like a member mentioned 'the best ambassadors of any organisation are its past employees. Make their exit memorable'--UNLESS of course it's a case of termination, for whatever reason(s).
Also, there's one small, but CRUCIAL, point that you seem to miss out. The to-be-ex-employee joined the Company & NOT any team within the Company. He/she became a part of the team only AFTER joining. And for all one knows, he/she may have worked in multiple teams during his/her tenure.
So whose concern, if at all, is it to give a farewell party to him/her?
Further more, did he/she work for any team Lead or Manager or anyone else OR for the Company all thru?
That's the logic from a purely human relations angle.
From another angle--whatever his/her productivity was during his/her tenure was a contribution to the Company & NOT to either the team or any individual. So whose concern, if at all, need it to be to give a farewell party to him/her? That his/her team is involved in arranging the farewell party is only a projection of the intent of the Company.
From another angle, what's the message the Company is trying to send to the to-be-ex-employee when the Company doesn't partake in any farewell party? To put it bluntly & directly: our 'use for you' is now over & finished & you can go your way now. At the most, a totally impersonal & mechanical 'Thank you'.
Does that feel like the way any HR person ought to suggest or project or practice?
Upto you to figure-out I guess.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
I think it is a healthy practice to have some sort of farewell function. The outgoing employee is appreciated by his/her colleagues for the support and positive actions while in the organization. Moreover, the personal relationships do not cease even if that employee exits. The get-together can happen during lunch breaks etc with least loss of productive time. A tea break could also be organized.
On the contrary, not having such a function indicates that the organization does not have a conducive atmosphere for inter-personal relationships. Such entities do not grow well as the right environmental culture is not fostered.
From India, Delhi
On the contrary, not having such a function indicates that the organization does not have a conducive atmosphere for inter-personal relationships. Such entities do not grow well as the right environmental culture is not fostered.
From India, Delhi
Interesting discussion on whether there should be farewell for the send off parties.The views expressed by the members are worth considering. There is another reason for the send-off party.The daunting completions for market share,the demanding 24 x 7 customer service and the technology driven processes, drive the employees at modern work places into a flurry of activity from the moment they pick their pen or 'mouse', leaving no space nor time for them for occasional social indulgence which is so essential for any one who wants his work place more socially dynamic than being a sweat shop.Therefore there is a need for a social lubricant to lubricate jammed channels of social communication among employees by opening up to one another. The send-off parties are one such social lubricant.The feeling of being together on occasions of one of their colleagues leaving them, instills a sense of belonging and caring for one another apart from refraining from burning bridges with him and keeping the doors of rehiring open to him, if he wishes to come back.
However, where the rate of attrition is high and an employee leaves every alternative day, holding send-off parties during office hours so frequently may be disruptive in nature.Therefore, in my view, whether a send-off party shall be held during office hours or during lunch or tea time or after hours or whether it can be avoided, depends up on various factors like frequency of exits and the long or short tenure of employees or the reputation of employees.No matter how bad a guy is, it is worth celebrating his exit as some people make others happy when they leave.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Consultant
From India, Mumbai
However, where the rate of attrition is high and an employee leaves every alternative day, holding send-off parties during office hours so frequently may be disruptive in nature.Therefore, in my view, whether a send-off party shall be held during office hours or during lunch or tea time or after hours or whether it can be avoided, depends up on various factors like frequency of exits and the long or short tenure of employees or the reputation of employees.No matter how bad a guy is, it is worth celebrating his exit as some people make others happy when they leave.
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Consultant
From India, Mumbai
Employees will come and go.people work for the earning and betterment in life.relationships are social bondings which remains.Networks help businessess grow.HUman resource managers thus can contribute in maintaining relationships and building strong networks through such small but memorable moments like Farewell irrespective of reasons attrition etc.
From India, Vadodara
From India, Vadodara
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