Why Your Company Should Always Treat Departing Employees with Respect

Apart from the basic importance of always treating others in a professional manner since it reflects more positively on you and your company, it's also wise for other reasons that we all often forget. For example, the person leaving your employee today could one day be running a large company you may be very eager to do business with in the future.

Perhaps it’s always best to view departing employees as potential future resources for you – and not as people betraying you or your company. Before they actually leave, tactfully discover what it is about your company that the employee feels may not be as positive or promising as what’s being offered by his/her new employer. Find out all that you can so that you can possibly make critical changes that may prevent some prized employees from leaving to join the same company.

Here are some of the other reasons you should advise your supervisors and human resource professionals to handle all last matters (like tendering final paychecks) in as friendly a manner as possible.

Other Reasons to Treat Parting Employees Properly

They may one day send critical business your way. Even if someone leaving today doesn't manage to start a highly successful company in the future  -- this individual may still windup sending your company various types of referrals that could prove highly lucrative;

  • They may one day become your boss or be assigned to review your resume when you’re out seeking a new position. Stranger things have happened and since mergers and acquisitions are quite unpredictable, the last thing you want do is behave in a petty fashion now;

  • They may become someone you seriously want to rehire. You can never know if one day you may be in a position to offer the departing person a far more suitable job that better fits his/her skills (and pays more). Parting on good terms can make this possible;

  • They may share true stories about how your company mistreats those who give notice prior to leaving. Even if a person is an “at-will” employee and you can easily get away with rude behavior – like firing them the minute they give you a standard, “two weeks’ notice of departure” -- your other employees will take note of your behavior and probably never provide you with any notice in the future for fear you may mistreat them in the same manner. Such careless behavior like this can also wreak havoc for maintaining workplace stability. Also, should other companies learn about such arbitrary employee interactions, they may decide to pass up the opportunity to do business with you or your company;

  • Conversely, they may “go to bat” for you or your company at times you may never find out about. Many of us often wonder in the business world why certain deals fail or why certain individuals always relate to us in a negative fashion. What may be occurring is that people we have mismanaged in the past are out there “blackballing” us as individuals or our companies – instead of singing our praises. In short, unless the departing individual has committed crimes or questionable acts, you should always speak positively about others and avoid burning any bridges when people leave your employ.

To obtain help with handling all of your Georgia business planning needs, please contact Shane Smith Law today.  You can schedule your free initial consultation with a knowledgeable Peachtree City estate planning attorney by calling: (980) 246-2656.