How to Announce an Employee Is Resigning or Leaving
Updated January 10, 2024
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- What Considerations Are There When an Employee Resigns?
- Why Is it Important to Make Your Announcement Appropriate?
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- How to Announce an Employee Departure
- Ten Tips When Announcing an Employee Departure
- How Not to Announce an Employee Is Leaving
- Examples
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- Final Thoughts
Employee departures are part of working life. Employees leave for a variety of reasons.
These include career progression, changing careers, moving cities or taking a break for personal reasons.
An employee resignation announcement is best sent as an email. This is a direct, quick way to get across the relevant information.
An announcement informs all relevant staff that a colleague is leaving. It states who is leaving, when their resignation is effective from, alternative contacts and expectations moving forward.
As a manager, you will have responsibilities when an employee resigns. Professionally informing their colleagues is just one of these duties.
What Considerations Are There When an Employee Resigns?
There are several duties involved when an employee departs.
These include:
- Responding to the employee's resignation letter
- Preparing for and conducting an exit interview
- Considering what tasks the employee covered in their role
- Directing Human Resources to begin the recruitment process for their replacement
- Organizing temporary cover until a permanent replacement is found
- Announcing officially that the employee is leaving or resigning
- Informing their colleagues that the team will be changing
- Writing a reference or recommendation for their future employer
Why Is it Important to Make Your Announcement Appropriate?
It is critical that an announcement is made when an employee departs.
There are several reasons why it is desirable that this is made in a professional, respectful way.
Company Relationships
If an employee is leaving to take up another post within the company, maintaining good relations is crucial. This will ensure that the move is a positive one for the company.
There is no need to direct your announcement to departments that have no relation to the leaver. This is distracting and will be seen as irrelevant.
Industry Relationships
If a colleague is moving to another post in the same industry, maintaining a positive relationship is important.
This could be helpful in creating ongoing business links within the industry.
Future Preparations
An announcement that an employee is leaving should be made at the right time. Consider what preparations will be needed and how long these will take.
This will help with company organization. It ensures that all internal and external parties are kept informed of personnel changes.
Professionalism
Making an employee resignation announcement by email to staff will demonstrate your professionalism.
It will show other employees that you are respectful of employee decisions and are considering the impact on all staff.
It is wise to inform external agencies or clients in good time. This will show them you are respectful of the business relationship.
Consideration of the Circumstances
Understanding the reason for the resignation is important. Positive reasons include furthering their education, seeking promotion or family commitments.
Negative reasons might be personnel cuts or the employee no longer being the right fit for the company.
If an employee is leaving on good terms, they may wish to inform close colleagues. This should be done before a more formal announcement is made.
If they are leaving in negative circumstances, an announcement should be made immediately. This will prevent speculation and negative information from being shared.
How to Announce an Employee Departure
A formal announcement of an employee's departure can be made by letter or email.
An email is often the preferred way as it is immediate and quick to distribute amongst employees.
Make sure this is sent to all relevant individuals or departments who will be affected. It makes professional sense to keep everyone informed of upcoming changes.
It may be necessary to organize a meeting with staff who are directly affected. That way, they can talk through any concerns that need addressing ahead of the leaving date.
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Ten Tips When Announcing an Employee Departure
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when making a resignation announcement to staff. Consider what applies to your work situation and how to best implement them.
Step 1. Get Permission From the Leaver and Human Resources
Keeping everyone informed is necessary for professionalism and tact.
It shows that you respect the leaver and are including them in the decision of when and how the announcement will be made.
Ask the leaver if they would like to inform any colleagues themselves. Then you can deliver the announcement after this has taken place.
Step 2. Address the Appropriate Audience
Make sure that the announcement is sent to the employees who will be impacted directly by the departure.
Include colleagues who work directly as well as indirectly with the departing employee. Also include those who will need to organize a replacement member of staff.
If you are informing clients outside of your organization, this will require you to write a different announcement.
Step 3. Choose the Right Format
Often an announcement in the format of an email is the easiest way to announce a departure.
It is an immediate form of communication and ensures that everyone is informed at the same time.
A written letter might be more appropriate for contacts or clients outside of your organization. This is more professional and shows that they are valued.
Step 4. Copy The Employee Into the Message
This is good practice and keeps the employee in the loop with communications.
Once they know an email has been sent, they can anticipate other colleagues approaching them to discuss their departure.
Step 5. Announce the Person Leaving in the Opening Sentence
It is important to get to the point immediately in an email announcing a departure. This prevents recipients from guessing or worrying about who the person is.
State the name of the employee leaving as well as their job role. This prevents any confusion.
Step 6. Inform Recipients of the Person's Last Day
This is necessary so that preparations can be made in advance. Changes in the organizational structure or workflow may be needed until a temporary replacement can be employed.
It also helps with planning for a leaving celebration and to give their colleagues time to say goodbye.
Step 7. Only Include Positive Reasons For the Departure
If a person is leaving for a positive reason such as retirement or promotion, explain their reasons for leaving in the email.
If they are resigning for a negative reason, do not include their reasons. These might include being fired or structural changes.
For example, if they are dissatisfied with the job, it is not necessary to refer to this. It will cause bad feelings within the workplace.
Step 8. Include Information For Those Who Work With Them Directly
These colleagues will need to know who to contact instead. This will help the business to continue to run smoothly.
Another employee might be assigned to take over their duties. In this case, discussions need to take place, so they fully understand the demands of their additional responsibilities.
You may need to draft more than one message if different information is required by different audiences.
Step 9. Mention Any Leaving Events
If there is a celebration event planned, include when and where this will be held. Inform recipients if any specific requests have been made by the person leaving.
If a gift and card are being organized, it may be best to address this information in a separate email that does not include the leaver.
Step 10. Always Express Your Gratitude
Include good wishes for the future and thanks for the work they have completed whilst in employment. This will be well received and appreciated by all colleagues.
Handling a leaving announcement with professionalism and grace will show other employees that their service is valued.
How Not to Announce an Employee Is Leaving
When you are announcing that an employee is leaving, there are some things to avoid, including:
- Portraying the leaver in a negative light
- Not keeping all employees informed, which could strain relationships
- Telling others at the last minute so preparations cannot be made
- Not including all the relevant information
- Relating performance issues or ineffective working practices
- Not signing the leaving announcement personally
- Neglecting to include some personal traits or achievements
Examples
Here are some examples of employee leaving announcements. It is a good idea to create some templates that can be used in the event of a resignation.
Good Example
This example includes all the relevant information outlined in the tips above.
It provides details regarding who to contact and dates. This will enable remaining employees to prepare for the forthcoming change of personnel.
It can be easily edited to apply to each leaver's situation by adapting the information given. Make sure it is personal and relates positively to the departing employee.
Dear [insert business name] employees,
I am writing to inform you of the departure/resignation of [insert person's name]. They will be leaving their position as [insert position here], effective from [insert date].
[Name of leaver] has been with our company for [insert number of years]. They will be sadly missed and will be difficult to replace.
We will be holding a farewell get-together at [insert location] on [insert event date/time]. This will be an opportunity to share your memories and best wishes for their change of direction.
We are extremely grateful for the support they have provided to our company.
Their many achievements such as [describe achievements] have changed the way we work as a company for the better. We wish them all the best of luck for the future.
Whilst we are arranging a replacement for the post of [insert post title], we respectfully ask that all communication is directed to [insert person here].
Sincerely,
[Insert employer name and position].
Bad Example
This example neglects to inform remaining employees of the full details and any key information.
No name of the employee is given; rather it is assumed that everyone knows already. Whilst this might be the case in certain situations, it should not be stated in a professional announcement.
This example is very unprofessional and portrays the sender in a negative light.
Dear staff,
We are sad to report that one of our colleagues is leaving. They have probably already informed you in person.
We wish them all the best with their career change and know it will be difficult to replace them.
Until a suitable replacement can be found for their role, please direct all queries to their line manager.
We will all get a chance to pass on our best wishes at the leaving event. Details to be announced.
Regards,
[Manager's name]
The above examples demonstrate the importance of taking a professional approach when writing an employee resignation announcement.
It is possible to create an announcement for different leaving situations. These can then be edited for future leavers.
Final Thoughts
Employee departures can be a hassle but are an inevitable aspect of working life. It is important to minimize any disruption to work life.
The effects of staff change will have an impact on all employees. This means adequate preparation is necessary.
Notifying your team will reduce any inconvenience. It will allow all colleagues to prepare for the changes ahead of time.
The HR department may have existing policies that you can refer to when drafting your announcement.
Your resignation announcement to staff may need alternative drafts.
For example, an internal email announcement to internal coworkers will be different from the announcement made to external clients.
Deal with the leaving announcement positively and professionally. This is the best way to assist all staff moving forward in their roles.
A well-written announcement will make the transition easier for all concerned. It will also create a good impression of you as an employer.
