Employee departures may elicit a mix of emotions. Whether it’s a joyous retirement, a strategic career move, or an unfortunate layoff, handling these transitions with sensitivity and transparency is very important.
Unfortunately, In today’s business environment, employee turnover is something that is unavoidable. Understanding how to write a clear, empathetic, and informative employee departure announcement is a valuable skill and can help to maintain morale amongst employees.
By having a good idea on how to write an employee departure announcement, you can avoid what could end up being a disruptive event. Let’s explore how to create announcements that resonate with your team and uphold your company’s values.
Tip 1: Don’t Avoid the Topic
Brushing things under the rug doesn’t get rid of the issue. It may seem well-intended to avoid sharing negative news, but this does more harm than good. If an employee stops showing up to work, employees will speculate. Without the facts, employees may partake in gossip, which can hurt morale and damage trust in the company.
Instead, prioritize transparent communication. Inform those who directly worked with or depended on the employee as soon as possible. This will promote a sense of employee trust.
By providing accurate information, you prevent the spread of gossip and eliminate the issue of employees coming up with their own narratives and misinterpretations. This is particularly crucial for remote workers, who rely heavily on official company communications to stay informed about team changes, as they lack the daily interactions of a shared workspace.
Some companies may hesitate sharing news about employee departures if the company’s turnover rate is high. Noticeable patterns of employee departures may initiate a ripple effect, causing more employees to choose to resign.
But the announcement itself isn’t the issue. The root problem is the turnover trends within the company. Be sure to conduct exit interviews to find out why employees are leaving. Conducting these interviews will be meaningless if there are no actions taken off the back of the, so make sure that you are taking what these employees say onboard. This way, you can address the problems and improve retention in the future.
Whom should I send an employee departure announcement to?
When writing an employee departure announcement, you will need to think about the intended audience. The goal is to provide relevant information to those directly impacted by the employee’s departure while avoiding unnecessary disruptions..
Direct Collaborators and Internal Teams:
Focus on informing those who worked directly with the employee who is leaving. In larger organizations, this may mean limiting the announcement to their specific department, project team, or direct reports.
In smaller organizations, where collaboration across the business is more common, a company-wide announcement might be appropriate.
Clients or other third parties:
If the employee held a client-facing role or regularly interacted with external partners, it’s important that you communicate their departure and let that third party know how you plan to cover the workload.
In some cases you may even be able to have a handover meeting, with the departing employee present. This ensures a smooth transition and maintains continuity in your external relationships.
Strategic Communication:
Avoid sending mass communications to people that had no interactions with the departing employee. This can cause unneeded disruption, and confusion.
By putting some thought into who you will send your announcement to, you can ensure that the information reaches the right people.
When should I announce an employee’s departure?
You should try to announce an employee’s departure as soon as possible. This way you can prevent the spread of gossip and misinformation, allow more time to execute a transition plan, give other employees an opportunity to share their appreciation, and get a head start on recruitment.
The same applies for third parties. You should try to let clients or external partners know as soon as possible. This will allow them to get their affairs in order and allow them to make the adjustments needed on their side.
Tip 2: Keep It Professional
No matter the reason for the employee leaving, a written employee departure announcement is still a formal business document. To protect the company and the employee, ensure your written document:
- Opens with the reason for the announcement: Begin with a direct statement outlining the purpose of the announcement, clearly stating that it is about an employee’s departure.
- Is concise: Keep the announcement brief and to the point. Include only factual and relevant information, not speculation.
- Omits the reason for the departure: Avoid sharing the specific reason for the departure, unless the employee has consented to sharing positive news. Respecting the employee’s privacy is something you should be considering here.
- Complies with company privacy and confidentiality policies: Ensure the announcement is in line with your company privacy and confidentiality policies. Consider any relevant legal requirements too.
- Includes the full name of the employee and their departure date: This is just to ensure clarity and avoid any confusion amongst your employees.
Tip 3: Communicate New Workflows
Someone somewhere will have to pick up the employee’s workload. Until someone else is hired to replace the employee or a new process is implemented to cover an eliminated position, create and communicate a transition plan. Anyone who works with or relies on the departing employee should be informed of:
- Whom to report to or contact for support that the employee previously helped with;
- Where to send information and work that previously went to the employee; and
- Whether these changes will be temporary or permanent if this is known.
By proactively communicating these points to your team, you can help minimize disruption, maintain productivity, and ensure that your team remains well-informed and supported during the transition period.
Tip 4: Keep It Positive
How you deliver the employee departure announcement can help or hurt morale. Even if the employee leaves on the worst of terms, try to keep maintaining a sense of positivity and optimism. Here are some tips to keep in mind when drafting your announcement:
- Start with gratitude: Thank the employee for their contributions and service to the company.
- Highlight their achievements: Encourage others to appreciate the employee’s service and achievements.
- Reassurance: Assure staff that they will be supported throughout the transition.
- Mention a farewell: Invite staff to a farewell event if applicable (in cases where the employee voluntarily resigned and agreed to the event).
- Focus on the future: End the letter on a positive note about the future of the company.
Tip 5: Plug Your Referral Program
An employee departure announcement is a great time to remind employees about your referral program—if you have one—and get a head start on recruitment. By mentioning the need to recruit for the vacant position in your employee departure announcement, internal applicants can submit their applications early, and you can build your external talent pool through referrals before even posting the job ad.
Sample Employee Departure Announcement Examples
How you announce an employee leaving and the information you include depends on the cause of the departure and the employee’s history at the company. The goal of an employee departure announcement is to celebrate an employee’s achievements and appreciate their contributions to the company while being sensitive to the reason they are leaving.
Here are a few examples of employee departure announcements, for different purposes that you can make use of. These examples follow the guidelines that we have covered in this article and are a great way for you to get started on your own announcements.
Sample Letter: Retirement
The following is a sample letter you can use to announce the retirement of an employee:
After (X) years of service with (insert company name), (insert employee full name) is retiring as of (insert date).
(Insert employee first name) has contributed as (insert appropriate positions or titles) and has been primarily responsible for (insert primary job functions, achievements, or significant contributions to the organization).
Please join me in thanking (insert employee first name) for their loyal and dedicated service. We wish them all the best in their well-earned retirement.
Employees are invited to join us at (insert location) on (insert date) at (insert time) for a retirement celebration in recognition of (insert employee first name)’s service with the company. The event will also be virtual for those who cannot attend in person.
Sample Letter: Resignation
The following is a sample letter you can use to announce the departure of an employee who has resigned:
After a (X)-year career with (insert company name), (insert employee full name) is resigning as of (insert date).
(Insert employee first name) began their career with us in (insert year), and over the past (X) years has contributed as (insert appropriate positions or titles, or forms of contribution: for example, hard work, and so on), and has been primarily responsible for (insert primary job functions or significant contribution to organization).
Please join me in thanking (insert employee first name) for their many years of loyal and dedicated service to (insert company name). We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Sample Letter: Termination
The following is a sample letter you can use to announce the departure of an employee who has been terminated:
Please be advised that as of (insert date of termination), (insert employee full name) is no longer with (insert company name).
Employees should not communicate any further with them regarding matters that are confidential or proprietary to our company.
(Insert employee first name)’s responsibilities have been assumed by (insert employee full name, title). Please contact them if you have any questions.
We wish to thank (insert employee first name) for their service and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Employee HR and health and safety simplified!
Whether it’s a termination or a voluntary resignation, writing an employee departure announcement can be a delicate balance of formality and sensitivity. Understanding the purpose and what should be included in your announcement is crucial for maintaining a positive and productive work environment. If you need a second set of eyes before clicking “send,” get our expert opinion, and we’ll walk you through the offboarding process.
Make sure that you remain transparent, professional, and positive. Remember to address departures as soon as possible, communicate workflow changes clearly, and always treat both the departing employee and remaining staff with respect
Want to streamline your HR processes and ensure compliance with all employee-related communications? Explore the resources and tools available at Citation Canada to simplify your HR tasks and build a stronger, more engaged workforce.