When Someone Leaves

The day I wrote this was my last day on a church staff. I'd been working part-time for a large church for over five years, and full-time at my own church for ten years before that. I worked for non-profit organizations prior to that, and with only one exception (and my own business) I've been in the non-profit sector for all of my career.

I'll be continuing my own business, and later this summer will be joining a firm part-time for a position related to, but different from what I have been doing. It's exciting but odd to step into a somewhat-new industry.

I've been blessed with good teams at both churches I've worked for. I didn't experience the "but if you really knew him/her behind the scenes" stuff some church staff members experience. I was able to leave with grace in both situations, although both departures were prompted by reorganization, not my own desire to leave and move on. God has worked in my life through both the time spent on these staffs, and the way the departure was handled.

As much as teambuilding helps you build a "family" feel in your workplace, someone is going to leave sometime and the team will change. Here are a few tips for handling it well with your team.

Communicate, yet protect: depending on the circumstances around the departure, keep in mind the feelings of the person leaving. Communicate to staff based first on appropriateness and whether the person will feel awkward with everyone knowing why they are leaving. If you can't, or shouldn't share all details, try to communicate in a way that leaves little tolerance for rumor mongering. 

Celebrate: find a way to celebrate the person, either publicly or privately. Have a cake (see the photo of mine above) and allow staff members to share compliments. Or if the person hates being the center of attention, circulate a card to give them before they go. A card may be a better option if the departure was less than pleasant, because it still acknowledges his/her contribution.

Cut the cord: as hard as it is (and I didn't like it either) there comes a time when the employee and the organization have to make a clean break. Establish a time for an exit interview when the employee can voice final thoughts, turn in keys, parking passes, etc. Don't treat him/her like a criminal but be professional. As quickly as possible, turn off their email account so lingering emails aren't left unhandled. Have an "out of office" message to redirect clients to the proper staff person.

Continue the relationship: this may be contradictory to what I just wrote, but keep the relationship going in a modified way if it is appropriate to do so. In my case, I still attend one of the churches I used to work for and maintain friendly relationships with former co-workers from both churches. I wouldn't hesitate to get involved in activities at either church. If there are opportunities for the person to volunteer, consider allowing him/her to do so. Encourage people to stay in touch by email or Facebook should the former employee enjoy that and the leaving was under good terms.

Consult with remaining employees: make sure to figure out who will be doing what in the absence of the former employee (particularly if you don't have immediate plans to replace them.) Allow for ideas and don't just dump on others without consulting them first. As much as possible, try to handle things that come up without calling the former employee very much. (This depends in part on how well the employee transitioned work, communications, etc. to others, but if you can figure things out on your own, do so.)

Whenever an employee leaves, part of the team is affected for at least a little while. Consider those affects and do what you can to make the transition as smooth as possible for the leaving employee and those that remain behind. Change isn't easy, but it's a fact of life, particularly in the business world. A little effort can go a long way toward helping it be as smooth as possible.