We’ve all left a job.

Whether voluntarily or involuntarily, leaving your organization or position is a commonality we all share at some point.  The difference is how each person handles that transition. For many employees, especially those who voluntarily resign, leaving is a process they go through.  It could involve months of thinking about it and planning out each detail. For those employees who are terminated though, they may or may not have much warning.  Either way, it’s important to realize the impact of behavior during the transition time.  After all, it’s part of the legacy you leave and what you were known for at work.

In a recent column in Harvard Business Review, On Stepping Down Gracefully, Robert Sutton describes the importance of this transition time for CEOs who step down or who take on roles with different responsibility. Like us, a CEO has to think about the message they send when they are asked to resign or if they are choosing to retire to a chairmanship.  The impact of behavior during those “peak” moments in a career are critical to how colleagues and even the successor remember the person who is leaving.  There are no real benefits to let hurt feelings taint the departure.  All that does is create enemies and burn bridges that may be needed in the future.

The same holds true for promotions.  Whether you’re leaving your current role for a promotion in your current department, leaving your department for another in the organization, or leaving your organization for an opportunity for a larger role at a different company, do so with grace.  The way you treat colleagues will have a great influence on how you are perceived in the future.

• Tie up loose ends on issues-  Make it easy for your successor to step in.
• Transition projects to capable leaders- By giving that leader all the information he or she will need to take over the project you will help ensure that the project will not be derailed as a result of your resignation or promotion.
• Show respect-  The way you treat your colleagues, boss, clients and anyone else in the organization you come into contact with will be the last memory they have of you.  Make it a good one.
• Give performance feedback to members of your team-  This is a critical action yet one that most people miss as they leave.  Without your input as a leader, often the incumbent will not have enough knowledge to complete the annual appraisal for that year and your staff will be the ones to pay the price.

What are other key things you have done as you’ve transitioned out of roles?  Be sure to share those in the comments.

Without knowledge of what the other reasons for the termination were, and if we had a case where the disparaging remarks were the only issue, should this company have fired the employee?  Let’s assume that the company did a few steps before terminating.  Here are a few questions I’d like answered:

• Did they use progressive discipline with the employee?
• Was this the first time the employee violated a policy?
• Is this policy violation serious enough to have termination as a consequence?

I think the bigger question for us and our organizations is, are we doing all we can to educate employees about using social media in a way that promotes professionalism? We’re not there yet.  Many instances like this can be avoided first and foremost if the supervisor is open to feedback on a daily basis.  Additionally, if the organization gives employees an outlet to let leadership know if there are issues brewing.  And, while a majority of employees do not use social media as a platform to bash colleagues, I would recommend that for those few who do, education and discussion should be a major component of dealing with the issue before termination is used.  After all, the whole point of social media is being able to communicate and network and by terminating employees on the spot, we’re flying in the face of the purpose.

What do you think?  Do you support terminating employees who vent about colleagues on social sites?  Or, do you agree with the National Labor Relations Board that employees in cases like this are being treated too harshly?  I’m anxious to hear your thoughts…..weigh in in the comment section….

Now, while I am not heartless and do not believe that terminations should be a surprise, I’ve always been the person in HR known for being direct.  In fact, from early in my career, employees knew that if they wanted to cry and get the motherly- nurturing touch, they needed to go to the office next to mine and chat with my associate.  She even had a box of Kleenex at the ready for those employees.  If they wanted the “tough love” and direct approach, they’d come to me.  That didn’t mean that I wasn’t kind or that I didn’t listen to them.  It’s just that I’m not one to sugar coat everything or beat around the bush.  It’s just a style thing.  Which brings me to the question I was asked last night….

“Don’t you ever cry when you terminate someone or hear their sad story?”

The question stopped me in my tracks.  No, I do not cry at work. For me, being able to do my job well means that even if I am touched by a situation or story, I need to maintain my composure at all times.  It may not always be easy, but for me, there are no tears in Trish’s HR.  I need to be strong for the employee.  I need to help them through a time where they may be only thinking with the emotional side of their brain and I want to be the stability.  I’m not their parent.  I’m HR.

What do you think?  Have you ever cried with an employee at work, or would you never do that?  Under what circumstances would it be appropriate?  Share the stories with me.  Oh, and…..here’s a Kleenex, just in case.

The story is about you, a mid-level manager at a large organization.  You’ve worked there for eight years and you are doing ok from a performance standpoint.  You meet most of your targets, you attend the mandatory training that HR makes you attend to learn leadership skills, and sometimes, you try to apply what you learn with your team.  Mostly, you don’t.  Your view of the business world is that it’s just work and that is why they pay you to be there.  You’re a hard worker, but you don’t feel passion for the work or for the mission of the organization.  After all, you just need the paycheck.

You’ve been managing a team with average turnover for the last five years.  Lately, one of your long-time employees has been taking a nose dive in the performance area. She seems generally disinterested at work, she misses deadline after deadline, and her colleagues have grown tired of trying to cover for her.  Today, it’s taken a turn for the worst. She has lost her temper with a client on the phone and now you’re having to pick up the pieces.  You’re feeling like you’ve had enough.  You cannot think of one positive thing she has done.  You want to fire her.

But should you?

Here’s where the decision gets challenging.  On the surface, the answer could be yes.  But, are you missing something?  I think you are.

The positive thing she has done today is SHOW UP.

Yes, that’s it.  She may have been late, missed yet another deadline, and even been rude to a client, but she is there.  That IS a positive.  She could have made many other choices such as calling in sick, lying to cover her tracks, or even quitting.  And, while she definitely needs to make major improvements, the mere fact of her showing up may be all she can muster today.  And, let’s face it, you haven’t been doing all you can to manage her.  From an attitude standpoint, you are not setting the example.

So, what can you do differently to attempt to turn this around before you throw in the towel?

• Show sincere interest- You may have missed opportunities to connect with this employee in the past, but no longer.  Sit down with her and have a real heart-to-heart.  Be honest in your feedback but without making it a personal attack.  Ask ALL open ended questions.  Tell her you’ve noticed the change in her performance and ask her to just talk to you about what is going on.  Don’t make any judgments in this initial conversation.  Tell her you are just there to talk to her about any issues and that you’ll think about what she tells you.
• Team to find the solution- Schedule a follow up meeting to address the issues.  Work together with her to brainstorm ways to address them.  DO NOT come at her with a bunch of solutions.  Make the employee tell you what she thinks will work.  Then, incorporate that with your ideas.  If she doesn’t buy into the solution, she will not have any chance of being successful.  Refer her to EAP if any of the issues are more personal in nature.
• Give a realistic deadline for improvement-  I am always interested when managers want to terminate long term employees when they have not improved in a week after being talked to.  That is not enough time.  Give at least 30- 60 days to start seeing steps to consistent and sustained improvement.  By then you will really know if this employee wants to turn it around or not.  Tell the employee up front that you want her to succeed and will help her, but it is ultimately up to her.  Be a support during the review period.

It can be so easy to write someone off.  Be sure that you are looking for the positives…even if it is just ONE small thing.  What do you think?