APRIL 2010

Learning From Your Ex-employees

Sheralyn Guy, HRhelp

Having a valued employee leave suddenly can be a depressing experience for a business owner, but Sheralyn Guy, of human resources support agency HRhelp, says it needn't be entirely negative. She's developed an eight-point plan that can help employers extract some positives from the situation. They include treating the departee with respect, so that they remain an advocate for the business and perhaps come back some day. Make sure you learn what they regard as the strengths and weaknesses of the business, and how things could be improved. And download the essential elements of their experience, so that a replacement doesn't have to start from scratch. Above all, says Sheralyn, maintain a strong and open communication with your employees - you're more likely to get forewarning of impending problems and be better able to enlist help from your staff in solving them.