It is inevitable that employees will exit our organizations to see different opportunity, grow in their career, relocate or we manage them out of the organization through progressive discipline, performance improvement plants, last chance agreements, etc.  Voluntary versus involuntary are different process of exiting an organization that should follow a consistent process.  If the employee is leaving voluntarily, we should gather information regarding the reasons why and make changes as needed.  This can include; communication, training, employee growth, benefits, compensation, etc.

Considerations for Exit Interviews:

  1. Discussion on reasons for leaving
  2. Communication throughout the organization
  3. Relationship with supervision and leadership
  4. Relationship with peers
  5. Working hours, wages, benefits
  6. Suggested changes in the organization
  7. Performance feedback
  8. Performance review process
  9. Liking most and least about the job
  10. Any relevant suggestions to improve the workplace

We are not going to please every employee that leaves the organization.  However, we should take the process serious and reflect on opportunities to communicate or improve process, procedures and practices.  The worst thing to do is conduct a 30-minute exit interview and file it in the terminated employee file.  A non-value add for the exiting employee and the organization.

Exit Interview Checklist (not all is applicable to every organization):

Voluntary:

___ Received employee resignation letter. (If verbal resignation, provided employee with a written confirmation of resignation, retained copy).

___ Scheduled exit interview.             ___ Completed exit interview. 

Involuntary:

___ Provided employee with termination letter (for-cause terminations).

___ Provided employee with severance agreement if layoff and severance eligible.

___ Received signed severance agreement.

___ Provided employee with WARN/OWBPA notices (if applicable).

Benefits

___ Provided employee with termination/continuation of employment insurance benefits
        information (COBRA, life insurance, supplemental insurance, etc.)

___ Checked FSA/HSA participation and informed employee of remaining funds and
        reimbursement deadlines, if applicable.

___ Checked PTO balance and informed employee of any remaining PTO and how it will be processed at termination of employment.

___ Informed employee about retirement plan options.

Compensation

___ Provided notice of policy regarding any outstanding balances for money owed to 
        company: educational loans/pay advances.

___ Notified Payroll department to process final paycheck.

___ Informed Payroll of any unused but earned PTO amounts due to employee.

___ Notified Payroll to process severance pays and whether lump sum or salary continuation (if applicable).

Contracts/Legal

___ Provided letter reminding employee of any legal obligations post-employment (such as noncompete/confidentiality agreements/employment contracts).

Immigration

___ Notified company immigration attorney of termination if employee is on temporary work visa.

Records

___ Pulled personnel file to be stored with terminated employee files.

___ Pulled Form I-9 to be stored with terminated employees’ I-9s.  

___ Obtained written authorization from employee to respond to employment verification requests.

Information Technology

___ Disabled e-mail account.

___ Removed employee’s name from e-mail group distribution lists; internal/office phone list; website and building directories.

___ Disabled computer access.

___ Disabled phone extension.

___ Disabled voicemail.

Facilities/Office Manager

___ Disabled security codes, if necessary.

___ Changed office mailbox.

___ Cleaned work area and removed personal belongings.

Collected the following items:

___ Keys (___office, ___building, ___desk, ___file cabinets, ___ other)

___ Company files, records, etc.

___ ID card

___ Building access card

___ Business cards

___ Nameplate

___ Name badge

___ Company cell phone

___ Laptop

___ Uniforms

___ Company credit cards

___ Tools

___ Username _______________     Password _______________________

___ Username _______________     Password _______________________

___ Username _______________     Password _______________________

___ Username _______________     Password _______________________

Form Completed by: ____________________________________

Date: _________________

The section below is critical to capture during an exit interview or exit checklist process.  I would encourage organizations to develop a signature section similar to this, as mentioned below.  Again, this is not legal advice but the process I currently have in place.

Signature Required:

I acknowledge at this time that I do not have any complaints against my supervisor, co-workers or any company agent or representative that have not been otherwise reported in writing during my employment.  I also acknowledge that I have reported in writing any and all injuries that have occurred during my employment. 

I understand that my last paycheck will be provided within the time required by applicable law.  I also understand that benefits will cease per the Organization X policies and applicable law.  And I acknowledge that I sign this resignation/termination willfully and voluntarily. 

Employee Name (Print): ________________________________    Date: ___________________

Employee Signature: __________________________________

If you are unclear on how to develop an exit process or exit checklist, I am happy to work with any organization to ensure an efficient and timely process is in place.  Username and passwords are necessary to collect prior to an employee leaving.

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Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD

Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered MCIPD Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ABOUT: Matthew Burr has over 18-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Montgomery Community College. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions. PUBLICATIONS: Matthew has over 70+ publications including, American Bar Association (ABA) Experience Magazine, Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), PayScale, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!),” proceeded by his second book, which was published in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game” and his most recent book, “Unbox Your HR Career” in July 2023. VOLUNTEER WORK: Matthew is currently the New York State Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) District-Director. EDUCATION & TRAINING: Additional Training & Development:  SHRM Workplace Coaching and Mentoring Recertification Program, 2020  SHRM Foundation Employing Abilities @Work Certificate, 2020  SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certificate Program, 2018  Delta County Chamber of Commerce: Delta Force Leadership Program, 2013 FEATURED IN & ON: Matthew was featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Fox News, Magnify Money, Monster.com, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation, Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Burr Consulting, LLC Capabilities Statement General Information: Burr Consulting, LLC Owner: Matthew W. Burr Mission Statement: “Strategically Aligning HR as a Partner for the Success of Your Business” Contact Information: Burr Consulting, LLC What's New in HR Blog Talentscape, LLC Labor Love, LLC (Labor Posters) The HR Support Center The Upstate HR Podcast (607)227-4386 Matthew@Burrconsultingllc.com Facebook: Burr Consulting, LLC LinkedIn: Burr Consulting, LLC Twitter: @Burrconsulting Online Certification Verification: Credibly Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Number: 080776443 NAICS Codes: 541612, 923130, 54161, 541611, 541613, 611430, 541618, 561312, 561311 SIC: 8742, 8748, 9441, 8748001, 8748026 Our Services HR MANAGEMENT New Hire Orientation; Temporary HR Support; Recruiting and Application Tracking; HR Compliance (ADA, FMLA); Employee Handbook; Policy and Procedure; HRIS; HR Audits; Job Profile Design and Revision; HR Key Performance Indicators; EEO Reporting and Classification; State Unemployment Insurance Services TRAINING & TRAINING DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development; Employee Relations; Workplace Violence; Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Union Awareness; Managerial EMPLOYEE & LABOR RELATIONS Employee Relations Training; Conflict Resolution; Mentoring; Workplace Investigations; Labor Contract Costing; Mediation & Arbitration Prep; Fact-Finding; Workplace Investigations; Coaching & Counseling; Performance Reviews; Contingency Plan Development; Contingency Plan Training; State of New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)PERB Mediation and Fact-Finding Panels (Albany, NY covering the Elmira, NY Area) HIRING & RECRUITMENT Applicant Tracking Systems; Metric Development; Interview Training; Workforce Planning; Recruitment; Interviews; Job Offers; New Hire Process POLICY & COMPENSATION Group Plans – Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Group Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability; Retirement – 401(k), Profit Sharing, Roth; Workers Compensation; Total Compensation Design and Strategy; Deferred Compensation Plans; Salary Surveys; Reward Systems; Online Payroll; Customized Payroll Processing; Employee Self Service; Customized Reporting HR COMPLIANCE MATERIALS Burr Consulting, LLC is excited to announce a new partnership with Labor Love LLC, expanding our services to include HR printed materials compliant with industry standards.

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