Navigating Employee Separation

Employee separation is a sensitive issue for any charter school.  Whether the separation results from voluntary or involuntary reasons, preventable or cultural clashes, or any other reason, the experience may cause hardships to all involved.  Regardless of the reason, the separation of employees from an organization requires a great deal of sensitivity, empathy, discretion and planning.

What are best practices when it comes to employee separation? Is your exit process in need of an upgrade?

Today’s tip explores a sampling of ways to make the experience of employee separation as stress free as possible.

Involuntary Separations

Even though these happen less often than voluntary terminations, you still must prepare thoughtfully for them. When preparing to dismiss an employee from your organization, consider these tips:

1. Investigate: get all the facts-not opinions.
2. Select a time for the termination discussion the best minimizes unwanted disruption to the school routine.
3. Decide who will communicate the termination (have two people present).  Keep the discussion brief and factual.
4. Go over the final decision for the termination and review the documentation/reason. (Keep record of employee evaluations, absences or offenses that justify the reasons for termination.)
5. Go over necessary logistics (final check, benefits, communication mandates, equipment return, personal belonging collection, etc.)
6. Be prepared for the employee’s reaction to the termination. Stay kind, but confident in the decision.
7. Escort the employee to get belongings/from building, to eliminate unnecessary gossip or backlash.
8. Be sure to stay compliant: Terminate an employee with full payment of wages under the Texas Payday Law. (Employers must pay discharged employees no later than the sixth day after the date the employee was discharged.)

Exit Checklist

At the time of exit, there are so many things to remember to do! For this reason, we suggest having a task checklist that all parties involved can refer to and track exit-related activities. This is the best way to ensure no missed steps occur and that everything is taken care of the way it should be. Some tasks/items that are important to include on your exit checklist consist of (note that all may not be applicable in each separation situation):

1. Separation form completed and filed
2. School property returned
3. Personal property collected
4. Communication on need to know basis
5. Staffing coverage plan activated
6. Website contact updated
7. Benefit/COBRA status communicated
8. Benefits terminated at appropriate date
9. File all documentation
10. Revoke system access to all systems and email
11. Position posted
12. Create service record
13. Deactivate in time keeping system
14. Unsubscribe in TXDPS
15. Reference letter written
16. Final paycheck issued and delivered

Exit Feedback

Upon completing of the separation, whether voluntary or involuntary, it is critical to collect exit feedback from your employee. Exited-employee feedback may offer genuine constructive criticism, which provides the school with valuable, no-holds-barred insights that will support the school’s efforts to continuously grow and improve. Exit interviews may be done in person, over the phone, or via survey. What matters is getting that fresh, raw feedback. However the exit feedback is collected, some key questions to ask include:

1. At what point did you consider leaving?
2. What influenced that decision?
3. Do you think you had the support you needed to be successful in your job?  If not, what was lacking?
4. As you look back, what perception do you have of our charter school?
5. What ideas do you have for improving our school?
6. Can we count on you to be a continued supporter of our school in the future?

More Resources

Want to step by step review of each item listed above and more? Feel free to check out our webinar entitled, “Navigating Employee Separations.” In this webinar, we’ll dive deeper into all aspects of the processes listed above and enhance a more robust understanding of what a healthy separation process entails. You will leave with a toolbox filled with best practices and takeaways to upgrade your charter’s employee separation process.

How can we support you to improve the employee separation process at your charter school?

Email Jordan Elliott, Chief Operations Officer, at JElliott@CharterSchoolSuccess.com or visit the Charter School Community Roundtable here.