Building a Strong Place in the Employee Life Cycle

In recent years, many companies have increased their efforts to attract talent to become part of their organizations by building strong employer brands and gathering the best under their structures. The strategy they often use is to highlight the employee value proposition and reach the best talents through social media in order to work with them.

In some companies, the value proposition extends to the employee’s on-the-job experience. However, companies often struggle to fulfill their brand promises throughout the employee life cycle. When an employee retires, resigns, or leaves involuntarily, the value proposition is often forgotten. Ignoring this back end of the employee life cycle poses a significant risk, especially in today’s social and global world where employees can quickly share bad experiences online. For example, when British retailer HMV decided to carry out mass layoffs, one employee live-tweeted the events as they unfolded.

When I think about my own experiences of voluntarily leaving companies, sometimes I felt like the most important employee, with a clear message that I could always return. Other times, there was more disappointment—for example, on my last day being told by HR where to drop off my badge and laptop, while my manager never called me. These experiences certainly shaped not just my opinion of my last manager, but of the entire company. Some experiences made me question my decision to leave, while others had me running for the door.

If an employee is leaving voluntarily, HR and managers should think carefully about how they will handle the exit process—not only to prevent harm to the company and brand perception, but also to ensure that the experiences and perceptions of remaining employees are consistent with the employee value proposition.

Of course, using a third party on the notification day for all stakeholders (e.g., departing employee and remaining team members) and offering the best possible career transition program is a good start. But don’t stop there.

Think through the entire flow of events—from what happens before the notification, to signing the separation agreement, to the end of the employment contract—and how each milestone will affect every stakeholder involved in the process. If there is any noticeable disconnect between the employee value proposition and the people involved in the process,

it’s time to revisit your plan.

Michelle Moore, Lee Hecht Harrison