Summary.

Despite the high rate of churn in the labor market today, many companies pay scant attention to offboarding employees. That’s a mistake, say the authors, who argue that offboarding is an increasingly vital part of talent management—and an opportunity to create long-term value.

Drawing on their scholarly research and interviews with HR professionals, the authors recommend a number of best practices. One is to plan well in advance for employees’ departures: Because few people stay at one company for their whole career, it’s important to have frank conversations throughout their tenure about their goals and prospects for advancement. When employees do choose to leave or get laid off, managers should acknowledge their contributions, provide resources to support them through the transition, and use exit interviews as an opportunity for mutual learning. Companies should also create formal alumni programs to keep former workers connected to the organization. Together, these offboarding practices can create a cadre of ex-employees who become valuable customers, suppliers, boomerang employees, mentors to current workers, and ambassadors for the firm.

Organizations spend a great deal of time and resources bringing new hires aboard and retaining employees, but very little effort and few resources go toward offboarding. Employees who leave may receive a perfunctory exit interview, instructions for handing off assignments, and a pro forma description of postemployment benefits and resources—but that’s about it. Sometimes they encounter impatient or rude managers; at the extreme, they may even be treated as traitors by their former bosses and colleagues.

The lack of attention to the exit process is a mistake. Even before the pandemic caused millions of job losses, the labor market was in a state of growing flux. Average job tenure in the United States has shrunk to about 4.1 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and employee turnover is on the rise. It’s time for organizations to think more carefully about offboarding. They should approach it not only as an increasingly necessary part of talent management but as an opportunity to create long-term value.

Management consulting firms have long led in this regard by treating exiting employees in much the same way that a university handles its graduating students—assisting in the transition, setting up departees for future success, and staying in touch through an alumni program. The incentives for consulting firms are too obvious to ignore: Former consultants become future clients. We believe that similar incentives exist for companies in other industries, too, where alumni may become customers, suppliers, boomerang employees, mentors to current workers, and ambassadors for the brand. A 2019 report

by PeoplePath (formerly Conenza) and Cornell University indicates that about a third of corporate alumni maintain connections with previous employers as clients, partners, or vendors—and that 15% of new hires come from alumni rehires and referrals.

We have undertaken an extensive study of best practices for offboarding programs that facilitate successful transitions. Along with our own research on turnover and employee flow,

we reviewed more than 125 academic and practitioner articles published from 1980 to 2020 that focused on transitions out of an organization. We compared this scholarly work with company websites, newspaper and magazine articles, and interviews with HR professionals. The offboarding recommendations that resulted, which we summarize here, apply to employees who leave a company in good standing—those who depart voluntarily or are let go because of redundancies. Our main findings indicate that savvy companies prepare for offboarding long before an employee’s exit, and they approach it in a strategic, data-driven, and flexible way.

More Than Just Compliance

The extent to which a company invests in offboarding programs depends on its strategy, culture, budget, and turnover rate, as well as the industry it’s in. But a foundational concern for every company is to ensure that all legal obligations are met when an employee departs. A carefully designed offboarding program can help protect the firm from potential litigation by establishing guidelines and systematic processes for managing employee exits.

Legal compliance is just the beginning, however. Holistic offboarding programs need to be integrated and aligned with the company’s HR and talent-management policies. This involves establishing objectives for the offboarding program that support the company’s talent needs. The size and scope of the organization matter, as do the skill requirements for its workers and the demand in the market for people with those skills. As George Sample, the human resources business partner manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, says, “The tighter the competition and the tougher the battle for talent in your industry, the more imperative it is to have dedicated and thoughtful offboarding efforts.”

The best offboarding plans are also informed by a company’s mission, vision, and culture. The way that management treats exiting employees sends a clear message about whether the organization lives up to its espoused commitments and values. “Companies strive to create an outstanding experience when someone enters the organization,” says Mike Quinn, senior vice president for integration at the chemicals company Synthomer. “Similarly, when somebody is exiting the organization, even under trying circumstances, you want to be sure that the process and experience reflect the overall culture of the organization.”

Building a humane and well-run offboarding program can have a considerable impact on people’s impression of a firm’s commitment to its workers. The behavioral scientist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman has documented the “peak–end rule,” which holds that people judge an experience largely by how they felt at its peak—its most intense point—and at its end, rather than thinking about the sum total of the experience. This means that employees may pay more attention to how companies manage exits than to how they welcome new hires—and goodwill between a departing employee and an employer can instantly be undone by a poorly handled offboarding. “When people leave, they are going to talk about the company and the way they were treated on the way out,” Quinn says. “You want them and your current employees to realize that people are treated well even when they leave.”

Planning Ahead for Exits

So what does a holistic offboarding program look like? Somewhat paradoxically, exemplary companies pay continual attention to offboarding rather than approaching it as a singular event. Their programs go far beyond a well-executed exit interview and the clean handoff of work and responsibilities. “It is important to lay the groundwork for exits early on,” a partner at a major corporate law firm explained to us.

Indeed, companies should begin their offboarding programs at the moment of hiring. Managers can tell newcomers that they hope all staff will stay until retirement but, because that isn’t always realistic, resources exist to help employees build their careers both inside and outside the organization. Career discussions can then continue throughout employees’ tenure, with managers acknowledging that individuals may sometimes need to go elsewhere to fulfill their goals.

Such frankness will be a big shift for many companies. Too often, career-development conversations are inhibited by a stigma about turnover. But employees are not blind to the fact that, with a few exceptions, the era of the “company man” (or woman) is over. They know they will probably have to switch jobs several times during the course of their career. Indeed, many talented mid-career executives are attracted to what LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman calls a “tour of duty” appointment, in which the term limit and the expectations for personal and organizational growth are predefined.

Due to their “up or out” culture in which few associates go on to make partner, management consulting firms and law firms are particularly adept at making employees feel valued while also acknowledging the likelihood that most people will leave for another opportunity at some point. Many of these firms share details of their offboarding program with prospective hires and incoming associates—just as they share information about training, development, and rewards programs. In fact, McKinsey & Company employees are enrolled in the alumni network as soon as they join the firm, rather than when they leave.

Recognizing that “nothing lasts forever” allows employers to have more-honest conversations with employees about their careers. For example, in his various executive roles over the years, Quinn has tried to create a climate in which employees feel safe sharing sentiments such as “I am not sure this is the right place for me anymore.” He encourages managers to respond with this message: “You are valued and we would hate to lose you, but if you want something we cannot give, we will support your exit and help you prepare for the next steps in your career.” Quinn acknowledges that this approach is not always popular with others on his top management team. His goal, however, is not to retain every single employee but to treat people respectfully, do what’s best for them, and, in the process, keep morale and productivity high.

When managers talk to subordinates about professional growth, they can back up their words with actions. They might give employees challenging assignments that will bolster their résumés, introduce them to external colleagues for networking purposes, or establish internal mentors and coaches who can serve as a point of contact if an employee decides to leave the organization. Some companies also offer “outskilling” programs to help people advance their careers by gaining skills that will make them more attractive to hiring managers both inside and outside the firm. For example, Amazon’s Career Choice program pays fees and tuition and offers courses in certain fields of study for Amazon associates. Similarly, the Archways to Opportunity program helps McDonald’s employees—and sometimes their families—to earn degrees, improve English skills, and plan their careers with an adviser.

A regularly updated succession plan for mid- and senior-level staff may also be a useful part of a holistic offboarding approach because it can help spark conversations about whether subordinates have a viable path for advancement in the company. (Of course, succession plans are also just generally a good idea for ensuring continuity during transitions.) Discussions about advancement can happen formally as part of the talent-management process or be informally initiated by managers within the established guidelines of offboarding programs. For instance, when Tom Williams, then the senior vice president of store operations and human resources at Jo-Ann Stores, told a deputy that he planned to retire in five years, it started a conversation that eventually led to her departure, because she wasn’t willing to wait that long for an opportunity to move up. “I helped her get a job leading HR somewhere else because she was really good,” he said. “You may wish people would stay, but if they can get a bigger and better job somewhere else, why wouldn’t you help them on that path?”

An approach to talent retention that includes receptivity to departures may seem startlingly progressive, or even utopian, but the benefits are not one-sided in favor of workers. Preparing for offboarding during employment can help keep managers from being blindsided by staff turnover. Companies can collect data to track employees’ satisfaction and intentions to leave, which helps with human resource forecasting. That in turn allows leaders to be transparent about their expectations for staffing needs and likely turnover, which helps set the stage for amicable separations.

Furthermore, too little openness can hurt an organization, as we found in our research. Take the case of a recruiter we interviewed who had previously worked at a consumer products firm where management viewed employees who left as disloyal. If you took a job elsewhere, he said, they would never want you back, which made talking about the possibility of leaving taboo. Had the company been more open and understanding about departures, this recruiter told us, it would have turned him into an advocate for the firm after he left. Instead, when people reach out to ask him about working there, he replies: “I have to be honest—I can’t recommend it.”

Managing the Exit

Even in today’s fluid labor market, leaving a job can be a scary experience. Amicable separations depend on offboarding practices that acknowledge departing employees for their contributions to the firm, support them by providing training and other resources to assist in their transition, and help the employer capture and integrate feedback from them.

To recognize an employee’s contribution, managers should be given resources to host a party or public thank-you. Depending on the corporate culture, some organizations do even more to frame departures in a positive light. Some affectionately describe retired employees as having emeritus status—a reference to the honor that universities bestow on distinguished faculty members who retire. When associates resign from Apple stores, employees gather to applaud and cheer them as they leave. At HubSpot’s offices outside of Boston, exiting employees are treated to a “graduation party” (obviously, we recommend such language only for voluntary departures). If the company has a formal alumni program, the occasion of someone’s departure may also be a good time to officially welcome him or her to the alumni group.

“You may wish people would stay, but if they can get a bigger and better job somewhere else, why wouldn’t you help them on that path?”

In the case of layoffs, severance pay can go a long way to financially support those who are let go, but companies should also attend to employees’ primary concern, which is almost always finding a new job. Offboarding programs can help with that. For example, when people leave Airbnb—either voluntarily or through layoffs—their profiles can be added to the alumni talent directory, which helps them find new work opportunities. Many companies also offer outplacement services to terminated employees: These can include job-search coaching, career assessment, assistance with individual brand development (such as help with LinkedIn profiles and résumés), and financial planning. The most progressive offboarding programs also offer counseling and other types of psychological support to help manage the emotions associated with being displaced.

Of course, offboarding provides an opportunity for employers to learn too. Companies should gather data by using best practices for exit interviews, such as timing them appropriately, standardizing questions, and ensuring that the information collected will be confidential and used to change practices and policies when necessary. These conversations are also the right time to address expectations for staying connected, if those haven’t already been discussed. Finally, by asking departing employees about their impressions of the company’s offboarding program, exit interviews can help the firm better manage departures in the future, creating a virtuous cycle. Follow-up interviews can be scheduled three to six months later to assess whether employees felt supported not just through their exit but in the transition to their next chapter. (For a comprehensive guide to exit interviews, see the April 2016 HBR article “Making Exit Interviews Count,”

by Everett Spain and Boris Groysberg.)

One more note: When employees leave, some companies ask them to sign nondisclosure agreements as a condition for accessing severance pay and other benefits. Bloomberg is one high-profile example; it follows this practice to prevent former employees from talking negatively about the organization. Some departing employees may also be bound by noncompete agreements that they signed when they were hired and that restrict their employment options after they leave. We recommend against using such contracts for anything other than protecting intellectual capital and proprietary information, to avoid signaling a lack of trust.

From Employees to Alumni

Many companies now treat employees as if they were university students: They outfit offices with Ping-Pong tables, beanbag chairs, and other trappings of collegiate life; they provide free food and give out athleisure wear emblazoned with the company’s logo. But of all such college-inspired benefits, a strong alumni program does the most to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to employees’ careers and well-being.

Corporate alumni programs come in various shapes and sizes. Some are overseen by company staff and have specific membership guidelines and fees; in other cases, firms simply create online groups and allow former employees to take the lead in maintaining the network and connections. The most ambitious companies offer an entire alumni infrastructure. Boston Consulting Group, Microsoft, and Deloitte use social media, dedicated alumni websites, and company newsletters to keep former employees in touch with the organization. Such platforms can be used to spotlight the achievements of both alumni and current employees, which many of our interview subjects singled out as being particularly inspiring. For example, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Sample told us that even more than a decade after leaving a previous employer, “I still feel connected to the people I worked with there by seeing news about their milestones within the company or their successes in the places they have moved on to.”

Tom Hegen is concerned about the impact of human intervention on the Earth. His airport photography provides a new perspective on the often chaotic experience of travel, revealing a sense of order that becomes apparent at a distance. Tom Hegen

Another way to engage alumni is to include them in professional development workshops and speaker series. These can be presented through webinars and podcasts so that alumni all over the world can participate. The content is often tied to real-world events. In April 2020, for instance, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Boston Consulting Group invited alumni to a virtual town hall to learn about managing through a global crisis. Notable alumni may also be brought back to discuss career-related topics. For example, the P&G Alumni Network recently hosted a podcast for its alumni network titled Learnings from Leaders, featuring former employees as speakers. Some companies also offer material targeted specifically to retirees, as many seek volunteer positions or paid employment after leaving an organization.

Perhaps most importantly, alumni programs create opportunities for maintaining social connection through fun events such as happy hours and reunions. Consider eBay, which hosts dinners for “the Class of xxxx” (fill in the year) to bring together current and former employees who joined the company during the same period. Reunion events also offer an opportunity for top management to update alumni on the firm’s direction and strategy—and to invite feedback. At consulting firms, these alumni sessions can be quite candid—consultants, after all, are rarely shy about offering their opinions about how a firm should be run.

Another strategy for forward-thinking companies is to offer alumni extended access to employee perks like discount programs and employee-assistance programs. LinkedIn gives each alum a premium subscription to its platform. Nestlé has an Alumni Discount Program that provides reduced pricing for a host of goods and services, including electronics, travel, cars, and entertainment. The National Football League shares benefits and wellness programs with alumni and their families. EnterpriseAlumni, which powers alumni programs for companies of all sizes, recommends engaging former workers by providing opportunities for them to volunteer or otherwise take part in community activities.

These sorts of initiatives make good business sense. Our interviews, like earlier studies, revealed that employees who are involved in alumni programs are more likely to act as referral sources or to return to work for the company in some capacity. Some firms, such as Deloitte, even incentivize such behavior by offering cash rewards to alumni for successful referrals. Companies also tap alums for project-based work, paid mentoring, and even full-time career opportunities. For instance, Booz Allen Hamilton uses its database of information about former employees to fill short-term, temporary, and project-based staffing needs. Chevron offers what it calls the Bridges program, where alumni can sign up for contract assignments and consulting opportunities. TravelCenters of America also happily rehires alums; according to Christian Perez, a recruiting supervisor at the firm, “We have a program to reach out to great performers who voluntarily left to pursue other opportunities. This ‘boomerang initiative’ reminds these former team members that we valued their contributions when they were with us and that TA’s doors are always open for them. Existing knowledge of our business practices is very valuable when we look to recruit talent.”

Offboarding can’t be one-size-fits-all. Not all departing employees will have the same needs, nor the same appetite for engaging on their way out.

Research suggests that more employers could benefit from offering structured alumni programs. According to the report from PeoplePath and Cornell, companies with formal alumni programs are perceived more favorably by employees than other firms are; their Glassdoor ratings average 16% higher. Yet most firms seem to be missing out on this opportunity to bolster their brand. A 2009 study done for the University of Twente

found that while only 15% of companies surveyed had formal alumni networks, 67% had employees who organized informal alumni groups on their own. LinkedIn hosts more than 118,000 corporate alumni groups, but most have no formal relationship with their “alma mater” firms. The result is that many former colleagues connect in groups that are outside the control of the organization they once worked for.

A Customer Service Mindset

Offboarding cannot be one-size-fits-all. Not all departing employees will have the same needs, nor the same appetite for engaging on their way out the door. Although an offboarding infrastructure is essential, so too is the discretion of HR personnel and unit managers handling staffers’ departures.

The process may look different depending on the type of employee leaving, his or her next destination, and the circumstances surrounding the departure. For instance, full-time and part-time employees may get differing treatment: Many firms offer a limited offboarding program to the latter. A senior leader who retires might welcome not just guidance regarding health care benefits and company-sponsored retirement programs, but also reassurance that her responsibilities will be smoothly handed off and her legacy will be secure. A valued employee who leaves for a competitor cannot be privy to the same information sharing and collaborating as someone who is leaving the industry, but he might be told that his contributions were appreciated and that the door remains open for a return. A parent who exits to stay home and raise children might remain interested in future job opportunities and alumni content. And someone laid off unexpectedly might care most about how the company can help him maintain access to benefits and find a new job—whether through traditional outplacement services or through connections to leaders or recruiters in other industries.

Ideally, offboarding programs will also be versatile enough to deal with external factors that influence employee turnover. The law firm Sidley Austin provides a good example: Early in 2020, in response to the Covid-19 crisis, it began offering exiting employees and alumni more resources related to work-life balance and mental health.

. . .

Departures are often emotional events, but a holistic, well-designed offboarding program can ensure that heightened emotions don’t prevent an orderly transition. Putting such a program in place will minimize the cost of turnover and create long-term value for both the company and those leaving. As a partner at a major corporate law firm told us: “The relationship with an employee is complex; it does not end just because the employment relationship is coming to an end.” Employee offboarding should therefore not be an afterthought; it should be a well-integrated component of the talent-management plan, using data and information from employees to drive decisions. In today’s work environment—where people frequently move from one company to the next—thoughtful offboarding has become a strategic necessity.

離職員工也許會參加一次敷衍了事的離職面談，聽上司下達一些交接工作的指示，象征性地解釋下離職后的利益及資源，差不多就是這樣了。有時他們會遇到不耐煩或粗魯的管理者，更極端的情況下會被前老板和同事視為叛徒。

隨意處理離職是企業(yè)常犯的錯誤。早在新冠疫情造成數百萬人失業(yè)之前，勞動力市場就已日漸動蕩。根據美國勞工統計局數據，美國人換工作的平均周期縮至4.1年，員工離職率增加。企業(yè)該好好考慮下如何管理離職了。離職管理不僅是企業(yè)人才管理越來越必要的一個部分，還是創(chuàng)造長期價值的機會。

一直以來，管理咨詢公司會像大學對待畢業(yè)生那樣對待離職員工，幫助其完成過渡，為未來的職業(yè)成功做好準備，通過校友制度保持聯系。咨詢公司這么做的原因很明顯：以前的員工會成為未來的客戶。我們認為其他行業(yè)的公司也有類似的動因，前員工可能會再回來工作，或者在將來成為客戶、供應商、在職員工的導師以及公司品牌大使。2019年PeoplePath（之前名為Conenza）和康奈爾大學聯合發(fā)布的一份報告表明，約1/3的企業(yè)前員工會以客戶、合作伙伴或供應商的方式和之前的雇主保持聯系，公司15%的新員工來自過去員工的推薦或返回的離職員工。

我們廣泛研究了幫助員工成功完成過渡的最佳離職項目，結合我們自己關于離職和員工流動的研究，參考了1980年到2020年發(fā)表的關注離職過渡問題的125篇論文及企業(yè)文章。我們把這些學術論文和企業(yè)網站、報紙及雜志文章內容進行對照，采訪了人力資源專業(yè)人士。本文總結的離職項目適用于和平離開公司的員工，包括主動離職或因冗余被裁員的員工。主要結論包括：明智企業(yè)會在員工離職很久前就準備離職流程，方法具有戰(zhàn)略性、由數據引導且十分靈活。

合規(guī)只是原因之一

公司對離職流程的投資規(guī)模取決于公司戰(zhàn)略、文化、預算和離職率，以及所處行業(yè)。但所有公司最在乎的是確保員工離職時的流程符合法律規(guī)定。精心設計的離職計劃可以通過制定具體處理方法和系統化流程，管理員工離職過程，防止公司遭遇訴訟。

但法律合規(guī)只是一個開始?？傮w的離職計劃需要和人力資源及人才管理政策整合并統一，設定離職計劃目標，支持公司人才需求。組織規(guī)模和營業(yè)范圍很重要，員工的技能要求和市場對這類人才的需求也很重要。正如克利夫蘭聯邦儲備銀行人力資源業(yè)務部門經理喬治·桑普爾（George Sample）說的，“所處行業(yè)競爭越激烈，人才的搶奪越緊張，就越有必要花心思和時間設計離職項目?！?/p>

最出色的離職計劃也會反映企業(yè)愿景、使命和文化。公司管理層對待離職員工的方式體現了公司能否實踐奉行的承諾和價值觀。“當員工加入公司時，企業(yè)會努力提供最好的體驗，”化學品公司Synthomer負責整合的高級副總裁邁克·奎恩（Mike Quinn）說，“同樣當有人離職的時候，即便情況不理想，你也希望流程和體驗能夠真正反映公司整體的文化?！?/p>

離職流程如果足夠人性化，執(zhí)行到位，會在很大程度上讓員工感到公司恪守對員工的承諾。行為學家、諾獎得主丹尼爾·卡內曼（Daniel Kahneman）將其總結為“峰值-結束原則”，人們在評價一次體驗時，會根據在最高峰時期（最強烈）和結束時的體驗來評價，而不會將所有經歷加總。這意味著員工可能會更在乎公司如何管理離職而不是入職，離職員工和公司之間的友好關系可能會因公司對離職的不當處理而立刻煙消云散。“員工離職后，會談起前公司和自己離職時得到的待遇，”奎恩說，“你會希望離職員工和現任員工都能意識到，員工在離開的時候依然能得到善待?！?/p>

提前做好離職準備

那么整體離職流程是什么樣？聽上去有點反常，但優(yōu)秀企業(yè)會持續(xù)關注離職問題，而不是將其看作獨立事件。離職流程不僅是安排得當的離職面談和工作職責的清楚交接?！氨M早為離職打好基礎很重要?！币患掖笮推髽I(yè)律所的合伙人告訴我們。

企業(yè)的確該在招聘時就啟動離職計劃。管理者應該告訴新人，公司希望所有人都能待到退休，但這并不現實，無論在職還是離開，公司都會提供資源幫助員工的職業(yè)發(fā)展。員工工作期間隨時可以進行職涯討論，管理者會告訴員工有時候需要到其他地方實現其目標。

對很多公司來說，這樣的坦誠是個重大轉變。有關職業(yè)發(fā)展的談話往往由于公司對離職問題的警惕而被禁止。但員工不會看不到一個事實：除了少部分情況，“鐵飯碗”時代已經結束。他們知道在職業(yè)生涯中自己很有可能會換幾次工作。許多能力出色的高管在職業(yè)生涯中期都會愛上領英創(chuàng)始人之一里德·霍夫曼（Reid Hoffman）所說的“服役期”任務，這種任務會事先規(guī)定任期以及企業(yè)對個人及組織成長的期待。

管理咨詢公司和律所有所謂的“晉升或離職”文化，只有少數人能成為合伙人，因此這類企業(yè)尤為擅長讓員工感到自身價值，同時也讓多數人意識到自己有可能在某個時候離開公司去別處。很多此類公司都會和可能錄用的求職者以及即將入職的員工分享離職計劃，就像分享培訓、職業(yè)發(fā)展和獎金制度一樣。麥肯錫雇員加入公司后會立刻進入校友網絡，而不是等到離開時。

意識到“沒什么能持久”，會讓雇主和員工在進行職業(yè)談話時更坦誠。例如，奎恩多年來在各類高管職位上嘗試鼓勵員工坦然分享自己的情緒，例如“我不確定這家公司是否還適合我”。他鼓勵管理者這樣回答，“你對公司很重要，我們不想失去你，但如果公司給不了你想要的東西，我們會支持你離開，幫助你做好職業(yè)生涯的下一段準備。”奎恩承認最高管理層團隊的其他人并不一定喜歡這種方式。但他的目標是在留住每位員工的同時給予足夠尊重，為他們著想，在此過程中確保士氣和生產力。

管理者和下屬討論職業(yè)發(fā)展時，可以用具體的行動支持談話內容?？梢越o員工分配挑戰(zhàn)性的任務、增強經驗，也可以幫助他們拓展人脈、介紹外部員工，或者在員工想離職時安排內部導師和教練作為聯絡人。一些公司會提供“加分技能”項目，幫助員工獲得無論本公司還是其他公司的招聘經理都會更喜歡的新技能。例如，亞馬遜職業(yè)選擇項目會為員工提供某些領域的課程并支付學費。麥當勞的“機會拱門計劃”幫助員工乃至其家人獲得學位，提升英語技能，和顧問一起規(guī)劃職業(yè)發(fā)展。

針對中高層管理者定期更新的繼任計劃也許會對整體離職計劃有所幫助，因為有助于開啟關于下屬在公司是否有可行上升渠道的談話。（繼任計劃整體上有助于幫助公司在過渡時期保持連續(xù)性。）關于上升通道的談話可以作為人才管理流程的一部分正式進行，也可以由管理者按照離職計劃的指導原則隨意談起。例如Jo-Ann Stores的店鋪運營和人力資源高級副總裁湯姆·威廉姆斯（Tom Williams）告訴副手自己準備五年后退休，兩人的談話最終讓副手決定離開公司，因為不想花這么長時間等待晉升機會?！耙驗樗ぷ骱艹錾晕?guī)退谄渌局\得一份人力資源總監(jiān)的工作，”他說，“也許你希望員工待在公司，但是如果他們可以在其他地方找到更好的工作，為什么不幫他們一把？”

保留人才包括接受人才的離開，這種方式看似太前沿甚至有點理想化，但獲益的不只是員工。預先準備離職計劃，可以讓管理者避免因員工意外離職而受到打擊。企業(yè)可以搜集員工滿意度和離職意向的數據，幫助人力資源做好預測。領導者也因此可以坦白自己對人員的需求和潛在離職率的預期，這樣員工的離職才能友好收場。

研究發(fā)現，不夠坦誠會給企業(yè)帶來傷害。舉例來說，我們采訪了一位曾在某消費品公司工作的招聘人員，他告訴我們，公司管理層將離職員工視為叛徒。他說，如果你跳槽了，他們絕不會再讓你回來，換工作因此成為禁忌話題。他說，如果公司能對離職抱有更開放和理解的態(tài)度，他在離開后可能會繼續(xù)支持這家公司。但現在人們來詢問他在這家公司工作的體驗時，他回答“我必須說實話，我不推薦這里”。

離職管理

盡管今天的人才市場流動性強，離職仍然是一件讓人害怕的事情。能否友好分手，取決于公司的離職計劃是否承認離職員工對公司的貢獻，是否提供培訓等資源輔助工作過渡，以及能否為新公司提供反饋。

在認可員工貢獻方面，公司應該支持管理者舉辦歡送會或公開感謝離職員工。各公司文化不同，一些組織會做更多事情確保離職氣氛積極友好。有人親切地將退休員工描述為榮譽雇員，類似大學在杰出教職員工退休后授予他們的榮譽地位。蘋果店鋪員工離職時，所有人都會聚在一起鼓掌歡送。HubSpot波士頓以外的分公司，離職員工都會參加“畢業(yè)晚會”（當然我們僅推薦對主動離職的員工使用這種說法）。

如果公司有正式的校友計劃，也可以在員工離職時邀請其加入。如果是裁員，遣散費的確可以為離職員工提供經濟支持，但公司也應該考慮員工的主要訴求是找到新工作。離職計劃可以在這方面發(fā)揮作用。例如，愛彼迎公司員工無論是主動離職還是被動離職，公司的離職人才名錄都會收錄他們的檔案，幫助他們尋找新的工作機會。很多公司還會為合同到期的員工提供轉職就業(yè)服務：包括求職培訓、職業(yè)評估、輔助打造個人品牌（幫助修改領英檔案及簡歷），以及財務規(guī)劃。最先鋒的離職規(guī)劃還會提供咨詢等心理支持，幫助員工調整和離職相關的情緒問題。

當然，離職也是企業(yè)學習的機會。企業(yè)應該利用精心設計的離職談話來搜集數據，做到談話時長適中、提問標準化、數據收集保密，并在必要時用于改善實踐和政策。如果還沒有和員工談過離職后保持聯系，可以通過這些談話表達意愿。最后，在離職談話中詢問員工對公司離職計劃的感受，可以讓企業(yè)在未來更好地管理離職，創(chuàng)造良性循環(huán)。3至6個月后可以進行追蹤訪談，評估員工在離職和過渡時期是否獲得了支持。（離職面談的詳盡指南見埃弗雷德·斯班和鮑瑞斯·格羅伊斯堡發(fā)表于《哈佛商業(yè)評論》2016年4月刊的文章“離職談話怎么談”）

另一點要記住的是：一些公司要求離職員工必須簽保密協議才能獲得遣散費和其他福利。美國彭博網就是一個著名例子：用這種方式防止前員工說自己的壞話。一些離職員工也許在入職時還簽了競業(yè)禁止協議，限制離職后的職業(yè)選擇。我們建議，企業(yè)除非用于保護知識資本和專有信息，否則不要訂立這樣的合約，以免讓員工感到不被信任。

從員工到校友

很多公司現在都將員工視為大學生：為辦公室配備乒乓球桌、懶人沙發(fā)，以及其他校園生活的標配；為員工提供免費食物，發(fā)放印有公司商標的運動服。但在所有這些校園感的福利中，強大的校友計劃才是最能證明企業(yè)是持續(xù)關心員工的職業(yè)和福利的。

企業(yè)校友計劃方式和規(guī)模各不相同。一些由公司員工監(jiān)管，并有具體的會員準則和會費。另一些只是由企業(yè)建立網絡社群，前員工自己負責維系。最有野心的公司會提供整套校友設施。波士頓咨詢公司、微軟和德勤使用社交媒體、專門的校友網站和公司簡報確保前員工和組織保持聯系。這類平臺可以用來展示過去和現任員工的成就，許多采訪對象都指出這種方式很激勵人心。例如，曾供職于克利夫蘭美聯儲的員工告訴我們，即便在離開前公司十多年后，“在新聞上看到前公司的重要事件或重大進步，我仍然感到和那里工作的人息息相關?！?/p>

另一種和校友互動的方式是，讓他們參加職業(yè)發(fā)展工作坊和系列講座。這類活動可以通過在線研討會和播客方式進行，全球校友都能參與。內容往往和真實世界發(fā)生的事情相關。2020年4月新冠疫情發(fā)生后，波士頓咨詢公司邀請校友參加線上活動，學習如何在全球危機中進行管理。還可以邀請知名校友討論職業(yè)相關話題。例如寶潔校友網絡近期為校友開設了名為“向領導者學習”的播客，請前員工來發(fā)言。一些公司還會針對退休人員提供幫助，因為很多退休員工會在離開組織后尋找志愿職位或重新找工作。

也許最重要的是，校友計劃通過歡樂時光和重聚等有趣的活動為員工創(chuàng)造了維持社交關系的機會。例如易趣會邀請同一時期加入公司的離職員工和在職員工參加“××（年份）屆員工”晚宴。高層也會利用重聚活動向校友更新企業(yè)的發(fā)展方向和戰(zhàn)略并獲得反饋。咨詢公司的此類活動非常坦率，畢竟咨詢顧問很少羞于表達自己對于公司發(fā)展運營的意見。

具有前瞻思維的企業(yè)還有另一個戰(zhàn)略，是為校友繼續(xù)提供折扣優(yōu)惠和員工輔助項目等福利。領英的所有員工都享有領英高級會員。雀巢公司有校友折扣，可以折扣價購買一系列產品和服務，包括電子產品、度假產品、汽車和娛樂項目。為各種規(guī)模的企業(yè)提供校友計劃的公司EnterpriseAlumni建議企業(yè)通過邀請離職員工參加志愿工作或集體活動保持聯絡。

此類項目在商業(yè)上很有益處。和此前的研究結論一樣，我們的采訪也表明，參加校友計劃的員工更有可能為公司推薦新員工，或再回來工作。德勤等公司甚至以現金方式獎勵成功推薦新員工入職的校友。公司還可以請校友來做項目，擔任付費導師甚至全職的工作。博思艾倫咨詢公司（Booz Allen Hamilton）會從前任員工信息數據庫中尋找短期工作、臨時工作和項目所需的人才。雪佛龍公司提供橋梁項目，校友可以承擔外包工作，提供咨詢服務。美國旅游中心（TravelCenters of America）也很樂意返聘校友，公司招聘主管克里斯蒂安·佩雷斯（Christian Perez）稱，“公司的‘回旋鏢項目’為的是再次聯系那些因其他機會而主動跳槽的優(yōu)秀員工，讓這些員工看到公司認可他們曾經的貢獻，想回來隨時歡迎。熟知公司業(yè)務是我們招聘很看重的價值?！?/p>

研究表示，更多雇主可以從定制化的校友項目中獲益。PeoplePath和康奈爾大學的研究報告稱，員工更喜愛有正式校友計劃的企業(yè)，這些公司在Glassdoor上的評分高出平均分16%。但多數企業(yè)似乎錯失了這個強化品牌的機會。2009年特溫特大學的一項研究發(fā)現，盡管調研企業(yè)中只有15%有正式校友網絡，但67%有員工自發(fā)組織的非正式校友群。領英有超過11.8萬企業(yè)校友群，但多數和“母校”企業(yè)沒有正式關系。這導致前雇主對很多在群組活躍的前雇員缺乏控制力。

客服思維

離職不能一刀切。離職員工需求各異，也不是所有人都希望在離開后繼續(xù)和前東家保持聯系。盡管離職項目很重要，人力資源部門和部門管理者在處理員工離職時的判斷也很重要。

根據員工離職原因、未來去向、離職大環(huán)境的不同，合適的處理方式也不太一樣。例如，全職和兼職員工的待遇也許會有不同：很多企業(yè)為兼職員工提供的離職計劃很有限。一位退休高管可能不僅希望獲得關于醫(yī)保和公司退休計劃方面的指導，還希望確保自己的工作平穩(wěn)交接，繼任者繼續(xù)實施自己的戰(zhàn)略。一位跳槽到對手公司的重要員工也許不能像離開該行業(yè)的人一樣分享信息和協作，但公司可以表示感激其貢獻，隨時歡迎回來。

退出職場在家照顧孩子的員工也許會對未來的工作機會和校友信息有興趣。意外失業(yè)的員工也許最關心公司如何幫助自己繼續(xù)享受福利并找到新工作，無論通過傳統的轉職就業(yè)服務還是通過領導者或招聘人員在其他行業(yè)的人脈。

理想情況下，離職計劃還應足夠靈活，以應對影響員工離職率的外部因素。律師事務所Sidley Austin的做法值得學習：2020年初，為應對新冠危機，公司開始為在職員工和離職員工提供更多和工作生活平衡以及心理健康相關的資源。

離職往往會帶來各種情緒，但從整體出發(fā)，精心設計的離職計劃可以確保員工的情緒不會影響工作過渡。公司建立這類機制可以將離職帶來的成本降至最低，并為公司和離職員工創(chuàng)造長期價值。一家大型企業(yè)律所合伙人告訴我們：“公司和員工的關系很復雜，雇傭關系的結束并不意味著這種關系也結束。”員工離職計劃不該是馬后炮，而應被整合到人才管理計劃中，企業(yè)應善用來自員工的數據和信息進行決策。如今人們在職場頻繁跳槽，企業(yè)用心制定離職計劃已經成為必要的戰(zhàn)略。

本文選自《哈佛商業(yè)評論》2021年4月出版雜志

艾莉森·達赫爾是約翰卡羅爾大學博勒商學院管理學副教授。艾琳·馬呂斯是艾克朗大學工商管理學院管理學副教授。

艾莉森·達赫爾（Alison M. Dachner） 艾琳·馬呂斯（Erin E. Makarius）| 文

牛文靜 | 譯 蔣薈蓉 | 校 李源 | 編輯