Hi, this is my first post. I hope to receive positive responses. I am working for a start-up company. We have an employee who is more qualified in her field than the other team members in the department. She has an ego and attitude about it. She is not a team player and feels that the other team members are not as qualified for their roles. Instead of training and guiding them, she believes differently. A month ago, she resigned for some reasons. When we tried to retain her, she demanded flexible work hours, an enriched job role, and a salary hike. We agreed to the first two but informed her she would need to withdraw her resignation to be eligible for a salary increase during the upcoming appraisals. She was expecting a 50% raise and threatened to quit if she didn't get it. The company accommodated her other requests and offered her the option for a salary increase, but she did not accept.
During discussions about retaining her, almost a month passed. In the last week of her notice period, she decided not to withdraw her resignation. However, her pending tasks and projects were left unfinished. We asked her to complete them, and she agreed. One day, during an exit interview with the CEO, a colleague, who was a friend of the employee, was asked by the CEO to talk to her about her attitude. This led to a heated reaction from the employee. She expressed her displeasure to her manager, HR, and the CEO, stating she could not work there and didn't need her salary or a relieving letter. She made it clear she would keep her attitude and ego, and the company could keep their letters. The CEO accepted her decision, and she left.
Now, the issue is that she was handling crucial tasks, and there is no replacement. Should we approach her to complete the pending tasks, or should we inform the other team members about the situation and proceed with the tasks? The concern is how the other team members might react. Please suggest the best way to handle this situation to prevent similar incidents in the future.
From India, Pune
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During discussions about retaining her, almost a month passed. In the last week of her notice period, she decided not to withdraw her resignation. However, her pending tasks and projects were left unfinished. We asked her to complete them, and she agreed. One day, during an exit interview with the CEO, a colleague, who was a friend of the employee, was asked by the CEO to talk to her about her attitude. This led to a heated reaction from the employee. She expressed her displeasure to her manager, HR, and the CEO, stating she could not work there and didn't need her salary or a relieving letter. She made it clear she would keep her attitude and ego, and the company could keep their letters. The CEO accepted her decision, and she left.
Now, the issue is that she was handling crucial tasks, and there is no replacement. Should we approach her to complete the pending tasks, or should we inform the other team members about the situation and proceed with the tasks? The concern is how the other team members might react. Please suggest the best way to handle this situation to prevent similar incidents in the future.
From India, Pune
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The team should take over the task and carry on. One should not be overly dependent on any individual. It is always better to share the task at hand with other members at various stages to avoid such a situation again.
From India, Delhi
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1From India, Delhi
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Greetings,
Please take this as a lesson learned and cut the losses as soon as possible. Here are my suggestions for your consideration:
Wish you all the best
(Note: I have corrected the spelling, grammar, and formatting errors in the text while preserving the original meaning and tone.)
From India, Mumbai
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Please take this as a lesson learned and cut the losses as soon as possible. Here are my suggestions for your consideration:
- Divide her tasks with high and low escalation levels. Let the client-end tasks be managed by the seniors in the firm, and the repetitive ones be taken care of by juniors.
- Let her seniors handle the tasks for now. Even if they have not been managing that, they would have the maturity to take up the pieces and put them together.
- Train the juniors and have them work alongside the seniors so that they are equipped to work independently later.
- Backfill will take time, so plan the tasks for the next 3-6 months.
- Take this as the first step to cross-skill the talent in your firm and keep refining the process at regular intervals.
- Finally, please keep exit procedures confidential within the organization. Do not let the employee talk and gossip spread stories about it. As a management team, make no mistakes by informing or sharing information with any employee. Even as a startup, no matter how close-knit your firm is, value individual space and respect one's decision to leave. As an employer, your brand is best built when your employees leave as your ambassadors to the talent industry.
- Address the situation in a team hurdle or meeting and clearly divide responsibilities. We cannot avoid human tendencies to manipulate emotions. Manipulation comes easily under pressure. The best we can offer to stabilize such a situation is patience! Avoid fueling any gossip based on uncertainty or what the management is thinking. Remain open to answering any questions raised. Identify the influencers and communicate regularly with them. Transparency is the best measure to build trust. The sooner doubts settle, the stronger the foundation will be.
Wish you all the best
(Note: I have corrected the spelling, grammar, and formatting errors in the text while preserving the original meaning and tone.)
From India, Mumbai
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Thank you, Nabonita.
There was no handover from that lady. Should we ask her to come over and hand over? If yes, should we give her the relieving letter? She mentioned while leaving that she would not need it.
From India, Pune
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There was no handover from that lady. Should we ask her to come over and hand over? If yes, should we give her the relieving letter? She mentioned while leaving that she would not need it.
From India, Pune
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Greetings,
A knowledge transfer is a must for every release. However, the way she left may not enable you to retrieve all the information from her. If you need to, mend the ties and please arrange the handover during a meeting with just one or two high-level executives in your firm. Ensure she provides a valid contact number to be reached later. Her hotheadedness should not cost your firm. Remain stable and focused on the result. Regardless of any drama that may arise, stay above those human reactions.
A service manual is what one should submit when resigning, including the following details:
- List of the tasks managed
- Processes followed for each task
- Current status with due dates
- Complete details of escalations, including information on involved members
- People to be contacted, with old communications and contact details
- Hand-holding through technical and business knowledge required for task delivery
- Any obligations offered to the client with specified conditions
- Legal information, if applicable
In other cases, plan for professional sign-offs with both the departing employee and the one being trained by them.
Finally, regardless of how an employee behaves, issue a clear set of documents on the release and follow the relieving process. This way, you will establish a strong and stable exit process in the long run. Treating your employees as ambassadors will likely result in them becoming your future re-hires.
Wishing you all the best!
From India, Mumbai
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A knowledge transfer is a must for every release. However, the way she left may not enable you to retrieve all the information from her. If you need to, mend the ties and please arrange the handover during a meeting with just one or two high-level executives in your firm. Ensure she provides a valid contact number to be reached later. Her hotheadedness should not cost your firm. Remain stable and focused on the result. Regardless of any drama that may arise, stay above those human reactions.
A service manual is what one should submit when resigning, including the following details:
- List of the tasks managed
- Processes followed for each task
- Current status with due dates
- Complete details of escalations, including information on involved members
- People to be contacted, with old communications and contact details
- Hand-holding through technical and business knowledge required for task delivery
- Any obligations offered to the client with specified conditions
- Legal information, if applicable
In other cases, plan for professional sign-offs with both the departing employee and the one being trained by them.
Finally, regardless of how an employee behaves, issue a clear set of documents on the release and follow the relieving process. This way, you will establish a strong and stable exit process in the long run. Treating your employees as ambassadors will likely result in them becoming your future re-hires.
Wishing you all the best!
From India, Mumbai
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Thanks a lot, (Cite Contribution) :).
There was a case where a lady completed her 2-month notice period. But since the discussions pertaining to her retention were ongoing, she made a final decision just a few days before her last day. Her handover was not complete, and tasks assigned were unfinished. She committed to working from home and coming in over weekends to complete the tasks. Although we released her salary, which was on hold, we did not provide her with a relieving letter due to the incomplete handover.
Now, she has sent an email stating that she will not be able to participate in the event she had committed to and is demanding a relieving letter. Please suggest how to handle this.
From India, Pune
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There was a case where a lady completed her 2-month notice period. But since the discussions pertaining to her retention were ongoing, she made a final decision just a few days before her last day. Her handover was not complete, and tasks assigned were unfinished. She committed to working from home and coming in over weekends to complete the tasks. Although we released her salary, which was on hold, we did not provide her with a relieving letter due to the incomplete handover.
Now, she has sent an email stating that she will not be able to participate in the event she had committed to and is demanding a relieving letter. Please suggest how to handle this.
From India, Pune
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You cannot release her documents without signing off on the Knowledge Transfer. Please send her the documents she needs to fill with all the task details. She won't work on the project, but information sharing is entirely her professional obligation.
Mail her, mentioning her agreement to complete the handover and her release remains subject to that. Stay focused and avoid getting bogged down by these long interactions.
From India, Mumbai
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Mail her, mentioning her agreement to complete the handover and her release remains subject to that. Stay focused and avoid getting bogged down by these long interactions.
From India, Mumbai
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Dear Ms. Nisha,
I have gone through your query and the subsequent views posted by Ms. (Cite Contribution). I apologize for interrupting your discussion.
I have a query for you.
1) At the time of joining, did you deliver HR induction to this employee explaining all applicable policies, specifically pertaining to the exit interview, knowledge transfer, etc., to secure a relieving letter?
2) Did the employee accept and sign the respective policies, binding herself (willingly) to follow company rules and regulations?
If yes, please proceed further with your formalities and follow the process as explained by Ms. (Cite Contribution).
If "NO," kindly arrange for HR induction and ensure that the company has completed all its formalities by educating its employees about various processes/policies applicable. Without educating your employees, you will fail to accomplish tasks, regardless of their position in the hierarchy.
At the time of joining, a company must discuss everything with new joiners, and the same should be recorded in black and white. There is no point in blaming or complaining about an employee if the company failed to fulfill its formalities or norms. Please communicate clearly with your employees.
I would like to present my suggestions to you.
1) Kindly develop a habit of providing information either in point (bullets/numbering) or paragraph form.
2) Kindly sign your name below (if possible, include your designation) to help readers address you appropriately.
Since you are in HR (if I am not mistaken), regardless of your experience, you must possess relevant skills (functional/soft skills/business writing) and act as a role model. I hope you are not offended by my suggestion.
With profound regards
"You cannot release her documents without signing off the Knowledge Transfer. Please send her the documents she needs to fill with all the task details. She won't work on the project, but information sharing is entirely her professional obligation.
Mail her, mentioning her agreement to complete the handover, and her release remains subject to that. Stay focused and avoid getting bogged down by these long interactions."
From India, Chennai
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I have gone through your query and the subsequent views posted by Ms. (Cite Contribution). I apologize for interrupting your discussion.
I have a query for you.
1) At the time of joining, did you deliver HR induction to this employee explaining all applicable policies, specifically pertaining to the exit interview, knowledge transfer, etc., to secure a relieving letter?
2) Did the employee accept and sign the respective policies, binding herself (willingly) to follow company rules and regulations?
If yes, please proceed further with your formalities and follow the process as explained by Ms. (Cite Contribution).
If "NO," kindly arrange for HR induction and ensure that the company has completed all its formalities by educating its employees about various processes/policies applicable. Without educating your employees, you will fail to accomplish tasks, regardless of their position in the hierarchy.
At the time of joining, a company must discuss everything with new joiners, and the same should be recorded in black and white. There is no point in blaming or complaining about an employee if the company failed to fulfill its formalities or norms. Please communicate clearly with your employees.
I would like to present my suggestions to you.
1) Kindly develop a habit of providing information either in point (bullets/numbering) or paragraph form.
2) Kindly sign your name below (if possible, include your designation) to help readers address you appropriately.
Since you are in HR (if I am not mistaken), regardless of your experience, you must possess relevant skills (functional/soft skills/business writing) and act as a role model. I hope you are not offended by my suggestion.
With profound regards
"You cannot release her documents without signing off the Knowledge Transfer. Please send her the documents she needs to fill with all the task details. She won't work on the project, but information sharing is entirely her professional obligation.
Mail her, mentioning her agreement to complete the handover, and her release remains subject to that. Stay focused and avoid getting bogged down by these long interactions."
From India, Chennai
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Dear Mr. Shaikh,
Can you guide us on the possible simple mandatory documents (if possible, you can attach the format in .doc) one has to obtain from the employee at the time of joining and at the time of exit? This will benefit people like me handling HR and ADMIN for the first time.
Thanks for your valuable inputs.
Govind
From India, Madras
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Can you guide us on the possible simple mandatory documents (if possible, you can attach the format in .doc) one has to obtain from the employee at the time of joining and at the time of exit? This will benefit people like me handling HR and ADMIN for the first time.
Thanks for your valuable inputs.
Govind
From India, Madras
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Dear Mr. Govind,
Kindly make a note of the following points written below.
1) If you are working for XYZ organization, it is the responsibility of the organization (management) to have all these documents in place. In case an organization can afford to establish HRD, they can get it done from the OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR.
2) Besides BASIC OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTS pertaining to NEW EMPLOYEE JOINING PROCESS (A CHECKLIST FOR COLLECTING VARIOUS DOCUMENTS FROM THE NEW JOINEE) and EXIT INTERVIEW LEADING TO FULL & FINAL SETTLEMENT, depending upon the business objectives and scope of operations, the documents will vary from organization to organization. For example, ASSET TRANSFER, ADVANCES/LOAN SETTLEMENT, COMPLETE DUTY HANDOVER BY FULFILLING ALL REQUIREMENTS (this may include training the employee taking over the job), etc.
3) I can offer you FREE ADVICE but not FREE CONSULTANCY SERVICES. It's not all about SHARING KNOWLEDGE; in fact, it is actually about KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER SUPPORTING LONG-TERM BUSINESS OPERATIONS THUS MEETING BUSINESS OBJECTIVES. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER COSTS MONEY.
4) If you are not trained to HANDLE & MANAGE - HR OPERATIONS, I would request you to undergo CORE HR TRAINING and I am sure it will benefit you more than you expected.
You may search this website to acquire relevant documents or request your management to outsource it to an HR CONSULTANT for PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL OPERATIONS.
With profound regards
From India, Chennai
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Kindly make a note of the following points written below.
1) If you are working for XYZ organization, it is the responsibility of the organization (management) to have all these documents in place. In case an organization can afford to establish HRD, they can get it done from the OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR.
2) Besides BASIC OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTS pertaining to NEW EMPLOYEE JOINING PROCESS (A CHECKLIST FOR COLLECTING VARIOUS DOCUMENTS FROM THE NEW JOINEE) and EXIT INTERVIEW LEADING TO FULL & FINAL SETTLEMENT, depending upon the business objectives and scope of operations, the documents will vary from organization to organization. For example, ASSET TRANSFER, ADVANCES/LOAN SETTLEMENT, COMPLETE DUTY HANDOVER BY FULFILLING ALL REQUIREMENTS (this may include training the employee taking over the job), etc.
3) I can offer you FREE ADVICE but not FREE CONSULTANCY SERVICES. It's not all about SHARING KNOWLEDGE; in fact, it is actually about KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER SUPPORTING LONG-TERM BUSINESS OPERATIONS THUS MEETING BUSINESS OBJECTIVES. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER COSTS MONEY.
4) If you are not trained to HANDLE & MANAGE - HR OPERATIONS, I would request you to undergo CORE HR TRAINING and I am sure it will benefit you more than you expected.
You may search this website to acquire relevant documents or request your management to outsource it to an HR CONSULTANT for PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL OPERATIONS.
With profound regards
From India, Chennai
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