There is never a dull moment at Cullen Scholefield as we are constantly changing and moving forwards. We may get dizzy sometimes with the amount of change we undergo, but we always stay on our feet and look on the bright side.

In 2014 the main changes we’ve had have been to our team…

We’ve welcomed two new staff members in the last couple of months. Toni Ross and John Joyce have joined our sales team and have been thrown in at the deep end. They’re swimming well and we have high hopes for them!

Also, my time at Cullen Scholefield is sadly coming to an end. I’ve been offered a new role which will allow me to start my career in publishing and while I’m sad I will be leaving the wonderful Cullen Scholefield team, I am really excited about the next step. I know that without Cullen Scholefield I wouldn’t have the experience and the confidence that I have now, so I would like to thank Maureen and the team for giving me a great start in the working world.

So with me leaving, it gives me the opportunity to reflect on how to leave a company on good terms so that both parties can benefit fully from the change.

Staying motivated

Once an employee has handed in their 4 weeks notice there is that fear that they will clock out until their last day. The phrase ‘working my notice’ has almost become synonymous with doing the bare minimum. It is those last four weeks, however that require the most work and if you slack off at the end, then that is what is most fresh in your manager’s mind when writing a reference. So it is important to create a positive atmosphere and maintain a business as usual approach to your employee’s departure. That way, work gets done and things will flow smoothly while you work out what will come next.

Tying up loose ends

Once your employee is motivated to leave on good terms, then they will start working on tying up any loose ends they might leave behind. This is all about preparing for a handover, whether to a new employee or to a manager, the information needs to be readily available. This is where the extra work comes in as you have to be aware about what you might know that is important, but your manager might not be aware of. Any necessary training will need to take place at this stage as well.

Looking for new opportunities

While tying up loose ends you will be alerted to any missed or potential opportunities. From a manager’s point of view, this highlights the potential that could be gained from hiring a new person. Most companies will simply fill the role after someone leaves, but smart companies will look to evolve the role and then find the right candidate to expand on it. This is the chance to look at how your business can grow from this change and then find the right person who will help encourage that growth. So in the near future Cullen Scholefield’s doors will be opening and welcoming individuals with a key skill set… Just a little hint – savvy social media users will be enticed through the door with cookies…

Keeping in touch

Just because someone is leaving doesn’t mean that it’s goodbye forever! I have no intention of becoming a stranger to Cullen Scholefield just like I know they won’t shut the door on me and leave me out in the cold. Many companies these days are investing a lot of money into alumnae programmes to keep in touch with their old employees. You can read about our thoughts on these in this blog post –There are many benefits of keeping in touch with old employees for both them and the company, so have a look at how you can implement a similar system in your organisation. Also, Cullen Scholefield offers a consultancy package for all stages of the employee life cycle, including employee departures. Contact us here to find out more.

As for me, my last week at Cullen Scholefield will start on the 10th November, but I’m very happy that my invitation to the Christmas party is still open. I’ve really enjoyed my time working for this lovely company and I’ve especially enjoyed writing the blog every week. Thank you for being wonderful readers and I hope you’ve picked up some hints while I’ve been here.