英文原版 | Turn Departing Employees into Loyal Alumni

Summary.

Despite the high rate of churn in the labor market today, many companies pay scant attention to offboarding employees. That’s a mistake, say the authors, who argue that offboarding is an increasingly vital part of talent management—and an opportunity to create long-term value.

Drawing on their scholarly research and interviews with HR professionals, the authors recommend a number of best practices. One is to plan well in advance for employees’ departures: Because few people stay at one company for their whole career, it’s important to have frank conversations throughout their tenure about their goals and prospects for advancement. When employees do choose to leave or get laid off, managers should acknowledge their contributions, provide resources to support them through the transition, and use exit interviews as an opportunity for mutual learning. Companies should also create formal alumni programs to keep former workers connected to the organization. Together, these offboarding practices can create a cadre of ex-employees who become valuable customers, suppliers, boomerang employees, mentors to current workers, and ambassadors for the firm.

Organizations spend a great deal of time and resources bringing new hires aboard and retaining employees, but very little effort and few resources go toward offboarding. Employees who leave may receive a perfunctory exit interview, instructions for handing off assignments, and a pro forma description of postemployment benefits and resources—but that’s about it. Sometimes they encounter impatient or rude managers; at the extreme, they may even be treated as traitors by their former bosses and colleagues.

The lack of attention to the exit process is a mistake. Even before the pandemic caused millions of job losses, the labor market was in a state of growing flux. Average job tenure in the United States has shrunk to about 4.1 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and employee turnover is on the rise. It’s time for organizations to think more carefully about offboarding. They should approach it not only as an increasingly necessary part of talent management but as an opportunity to create long-term value.

Management consulting firms have long led in this regard by treating exiting employees in much the same way that a university handles its graduating students—assisting in the transition, setting up departees for future success, and staying in touch through an alumni program. The incentives for consulting firms are too obvious to ignore: Former consultants become future clients. We believe that similar incentives exist for companies in other industries, too, where alumni may become customers, suppliers, boomerang employees, mentors to current workers, and ambassadors for the brand. A 2019 report

by PeoplePath (formerly Conenza) and Cornell University indicates that about a third of corporate alumni maintain connections with previous employers as clients, partners, or vendors—and that 15% of new hires come from alumni rehires and referrals.

We have undertaken an extensive study of best practices for offboarding programs that facilitate successful transitions. Along with our own research on turnover and employee flow,

we reviewed more than 125 academic and practitioner articles published from 1980 to 2020 that focused on transitions out of an organization. We compared this scholarly work with company websites, newspaper and magazine articles, and interviews with HR professionals. The offboarding recommendations that resulted, which we summarize here, apply to employees who leave a company in good standing—those who depart voluntarily or are let go because of redundancies. Our main findings indicate that savvy companies prepare for offboarding long before an employee’s exit, and they approach it in a strategic, data-driven, and flexible way.

More Than Just Compliance

The extent to which a company invests in offboarding programs depends on its strategy, culture, budget, and turnover rate, as well as the industry it’s in. But a foundational concern for every company is to ensure that all legal obligations are met when an employee departs. A carefully designed offboarding program can help protect the firm from potential litigation by establishing guidelines and systematic processes for managing employee exits.

Legal compliance is just the beginning, however. Holistic offboarding programs need to be integrated and aligned with the company’s HR and talent-management policies. This involves establishing objectives for the offboarding program that support the company’s talent needs. The size and scope of the organization matter, as do the skill requirements for its workers and the demand in the market for people with those skills. As George Sample, the human resources business partner manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, says, “The tighter the competition and the tougher the battle for talent in your industry, the more imperative it is to have dedicated and thoughtful offboarding efforts.”

The best offboarding plans are also informed by a company’s mission, vision, and culture. The way that management treats exiting employees sends a clear message about whether the organization lives up to its espoused commitments and values. “Companies strive to create an outstanding experience when someone enters the organization,” says Mike Quinn, senior vice president for integration at the chemicals company Synthomer. “Similarly, when somebody is exiting the organization, even under trying circumstances, you want to be sure that the process and experience reflect the overall culture of the organization.”

Building a humane and well-run offboarding program can have a considerable impact on people’s impression of a firm’s commitment to its workers. The behavioral scientist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman has documented the “peak–end rule,” which holds that people judge an experience largely by how they felt at its peak—its most intense point—and at its end, rather than thinking about the sum total of the experience. This means that employees may pay more attention to how companies manage exits than to how they welcome new hires—and goodwill between a departing employee and an employer can instantly be undone by a poorly handled offboarding. “When people leave, they are going to talk about the company and the way they were treated on the way out,” Quinn says. “You want them and your current employees to realize that people are treated well even when they leave.”

Planning Ahead for Exits

So what does a holistic offboarding program look like? Somewhat paradoxically, exemplary companies pay continual attention to offboarding rather than approaching it as a singular event. Their programs go far beyond a well-executed exit interview and the clean handoff of work and responsibilities. “It is important to lay the groundwork for exits early on,” a partner at a major corporate law firm explained to us.

Indeed, companies should begin their offboarding programs at the moment of hiring. Managers can tell newcomers that they hope all staff will stay until retirement but, because that isn’t always realistic, resources exist to help employees build their careers both inside and outside the organization. Career discussions can then continue throughout employees’ tenure, with managers acknowledging that individuals may sometimes need to go elsewhere to fulfill their goals.

Such frankness will be a big shift for many companies. Too often, career-development conversations are inhibited by a stigma about turnover. But employees are not blind to the fact that, with a few exceptions, the era of the “company man” (or woman) is over. They know they will probably have to switch jobs several times during the course of their career. Indeed, many talented mid-career executives are attracted to what LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman calls a “tour of duty” appointment, in which the term limit and the expectations for personal and organizational growth are predefined.

Due to their “up or out” culture in which few associates go on to make partner, management consulting firms and law firms are particularly adept at making employees feel valued while also acknowledging the likelihood that most people will leave for another opportunity at some point. Many of these firms share details of their offboarding program with prospective hires and incoming associates—just as they share information about training, development, and rewards programs. In fact, McKinsey & Company employees are enrolled in the alumni network as soon as they join the firm, rather than when they leave.

Recognizing that “nothing lasts forever” allows employers to have more-honest conversations with employees about their careers. For example, in his various executive roles over the years, Quinn has tried to create a climate in which employees feel safe sharing sentiments such as “I am not sure this is the right place for me anymore.” He encourages managers to respond with this message: “You are valued and we would hate to lose you, but if you want something we cannot give, we will support your exit and help you prepare for the next steps in your career.” Quinn acknowledges that this approach is not always popular with others on his top management team. His goal, however, is not to retain every single employee but to treat people respectfully, do what’s best for them, and, in the process, keep morale and productivity high.

When managers talk to subordinates about professional growth, they can back up their words with actions. They might give employees challenging assignments that will bolster their résumés, introduce them to external colleagues for networking purposes, or establish internal mentors and coaches who can serve as a point of contact if an employee decides to leave the organization. Some companies also offer “outskilling” programs to help people advance their careers by gaining skills that will make them more attractive to hiring managers both inside and outside the firm. For example, Amazon’s Career Choice program pays fees and tuition and offers courses in certain fields of study for Amazon associates. Similarly, the Archways to Opportunity program helps McDonald’s employees—and sometimes their families—to earn degrees, improve English skills, and plan their careers with an adviser.

A regularly updated succession plan for mid- and senior-level staff may also be a useful part of a holistic offboarding approach because it can help spark conversations about whether subordinates have a viable path for advancement in the company. (Of course, succession plans are also just generally a good idea for ensuring continuity during transitions.) Discussions about advancement can happen formally as part of the talent-management process or be informally initiated by managers within the established guidelines of offboarding programs. For instance, when Tom Williams, then the senior vice president of store operations and human resources at Jo-Ann Stores, told a deputy that he planned to retire in five years, it started a conversation that eventually led to her departure, because she wasn’t willing to wait that long for an opportunity to move up. “I helped her get a job leading HR somewhere else because she was really good,” he said. “You may wish people would stay, but if they can get a bigger and better job somewhere else, why wouldn’t you help them on that path?”

An approach to talent retention that includes receptivity to departures may seem startlingly progressive, or even utopian, but the benefits are not one-sided in favor of workers. Preparing for offboarding during employment can help keep managers from being blindsided by staff turnover. Companies can collect data to track employees’ satisfaction and intentions to leave, which helps with human resource forecasting. That in turn allows leaders to be transparent about their expectations for staffing needs and likely turnover, which helps set the stage for amicable separations.

Furthermore, too little openness can hurt an organization, as we found in our research. Take the case of a recruiter we interviewed who had previously worked at a consumer products firm where management viewed employees who left as disloyal. If you took a job elsewhere, he said, they would never want you back, which made talking about the possibility of leaving taboo. Had the company been more open and understanding about departures, this recruiter told us, it would have turned him into an advocate for the firm after he left. Instead, when people reach out to ask him about working there, he replies: “I have to be honest—I can’t recommend it.”

Managing the Exit

Even in today’s fluid labor market, leaving a job can be a scary experience. Amicable separations depend on offboarding practices that acknowledge departing employees for their contributions to the firm, support them by providing training and other resources to assist in their transition, and help the employer capture and integrate feedback from them.

To recognize an employee’s contribution, managers should be given resources to host a party or public thank-you. Depending on the corporate culture, some organizations do even more to frame departures in a positive light. Some affectionately describe retired employees as having emeritus status—a reference to the honor that universities bestow on distinguished faculty members who retire. When associates resign from Apple stores, employees gather to applaud and cheer them as they leave. At HubSpot’s offices outside of Boston, exiting employees are treated to a “graduation party” (obviously, we recommend such language only for voluntary departures). If the company has a formal alumni program, the occasion of someone’s departure may also be a good time to officially welcome him or her to the alumni group.

“You may wish people would stay, but if they can get a bigger and better job somewhere else, why wouldn’t you help them on that path?”

In the case of layoffs, severance pay can go a long way to financially support those who are let go, but companies should also attend to employees’ primary concern, which is almost always finding a new job. Offboarding programs can help with that. For example, when people leave Airbnb—either voluntarily or through layoffs—their profiles can be added to the alumni talent directory, which helps them find new work opportunities. Many companies also offer outplacement services to terminated employees: These can include job-search coaching, career assessment, assistance with individual brand development (such as help with LinkedIn profiles and résumés), and financial planning. The most progressive offboarding programs also offer counseling and other types of psychological support to help manage the emotions associated with being displaced.

Of course, offboarding provides an opportunity for employers to learn too. Companies should gather data by using best practices for exit interviews, such as timing them appropriately, standardizing questions, and ensuring that the information collected will be confidential and used to change practices and policies when necessary. These conversations are also the right time to address expectations for staying connected, if those haven’t already been discussed. Finally, by asking departing employees about their impressions of the company’s offboarding program, exit interviews can help the firm better manage departures in the future, creating a virtuous cycle. Follow-up interviews can be scheduled three to six months later to assess whether employees felt supported not just through their exit but in the transition to their next chapter. (For a comprehensive guide to exit interviews, see the April 2016 HBR article “Making Exit Interviews Count,”

by Everett Spain and Boris Groysberg.)

One more note: When employees leave, some companies ask them to sign nondisclosure agreements as a condition for accessing severance pay and other benefits. Bloomberg is one high-profile example; it follows this practice to prevent former employees from talking negatively about the organization. Some departing employees may also be bound by noncompete agreements that they signed when they were hired and that restrict their employment options after they leave. We recommend against using such contracts for anything other than protecting intellectual capital and proprietary information, to avoid signaling a lack of trust.

From Employees to Alumni

Many companies now treat employees as if they were university students: They outfit offices with Ping-Pong tables, beanbag chairs, and other trappings of collegiate life; they provide free food and give out athleisure wear emblazoned with the company’s logo. But of all such college-inspired benefits, a strong alumni program does the most to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to employees’ careers and well-being.

Corporate alumni programs come in various shapes and sizes. Some are overseen by company staff and have specific membership guidelines and fees; in other cases, firms simply create online groups and allow former employees to take the lead in maintaining the network and connections. The most ambitious companies offer an entire alumni infrastructure. Boston Consulting Group, Microsoft, and Deloitte use social media, dedicated alumni websites, and company newsletters to keep former employees in touch with the organization. Such platforms can be used to spotlight the achievements of both alumni and current employees, which many of our interview subjects singled out as being particularly inspiring. For example, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Sample told us that even more than a decade after leaving a previous employer, “I still feel connected to the people I worked with there by seeing news about their milestones within the company or their successes in the places they have moved on to.”

Tom Hegen is concerned about the impact of human intervention on the Earth. His airport photography provides a new perspective on the often chaotic experience of travel, revealing a sense of order that becomes apparent at a distance. Tom Hegen

Another way to engage alumni is to include them in professional development workshops and speaker series. These can be presented through webinars and podcasts so that alumni all over the world can participate. The content is often tied to real-world events. In April 2020, for instance, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Boston Consulting Group invited alumni to a virtual town hall to learn about managing through a global crisis. Notable alumni may also be brought back to discuss career-related topics. For example, the P&G Alumni Network recently hosted a podcast for its alumni network titled Learnings from Leaders, featuring former employees as speakers. Some companies also offer material targeted specifically to retirees, as many seek volunteer positions or paid employment after leaving an organization.

Perhaps most importantly, alumni programs create opportunities for maintaining social connection through fun events such as happy hours and reunions. Consider eBay, which hosts dinners for “the Class of xxxx” (fill in the year) to bring together current and former employees who joined the company during the same period. Reunion events also offer an opportunity for top management to update alumni on the firm’s direction and strategy—and to invite feedback. At consulting firms, these alumni sessions can be quite candid—consultants, after all, are rarely shy about offering their opinions about how a firm should be run.

Another strategy for forward-thinking companies is to offer alumni extended access to employee perks like discount programs and employee-assistance programs. LinkedIn gives each alum a premium subscription to its platform. Nestlé has an Alumni Discount Program that provides reduced pricing for a host of goods and services, including electronics, travel, cars, and entertainment. The National Football League shares benefits and wellness programs with alumni and their families. EnterpriseAlumni, which powers alumni programs for companies of all sizes, recommends engaging former workers by providing opportunities for them to volunteer or otherwise take part in community activities.

These sorts of initiatives make good business sense. Our interviews, like earlier studies, revealed that employees who are involved in alumni programs are more likely to act as referral sources or to return to work for the company in some capacity. Some firms, such as Deloitte, even incentivize such behavior by offering cash rewards to alumni for successful referrals. Companies also tap alums for project-based work, paid mentoring, and even full-time career opportunities. For instance, Booz Allen Hamilton uses its database of information about former employees to fill short-term, temporary, and project-based staffing needs. Chevron offers what it calls the Bridges program, where alumni can sign up for contract assignments and consulting opportunities. TravelCenters of America also happily rehires alums; according to Christian Perez, a recruiting supervisor at the firm, “We have a program to reach out to great performers who voluntarily left to pursue other opportunities. This ‘boomerang initiative’ reminds these former team members that we valued their contributions when they were with us and that TA’s doors are always open for them. Existing knowledge of our business practices is very valuable when we look to recruit talent.”

Offboarding can’t be one-size-fits-all. Not all departing employees will have the same needs, nor the same appetite for engaging on their way out.

Research suggests that more employers could benefit from offering structured alumni programs. According to the report from PeoplePath and Cornell, companies with formal alumni programs are perceived more favorably by employees than other firms are; their Glassdoor ratings average 16% higher. Yet most firms seem to be missing out on this opportunity to bolster their brand. A 2009 study done for the University of Twente

found that while only 15% of companies surveyed had formal alumni networks, 67% had employees who organized informal alumni groups on their own. LinkedIn hosts more than 118,000 corporate alumni groups, but most have no formal relationship with their “alma mater” firms. The result is that many former colleagues connect in groups that are outside the control of the organization they once worked for.

A Customer Service Mindset

Offboarding cannot be one-size-fits-all. Not all departing employees will have the same needs, nor the same appetite for engaging on their way out the door. Although an offboarding infrastructure is essential, so too is the discretion of HR personnel and unit managers handling staffers’ departures.

The process may look different depending on the type of employee leaving, his or her next destination, and the circumstances surrounding the departure. For instance, full-time and part-time employees may get differing treatment: Many firms offer a limited offboarding program to the latter. A senior leader who retires might welcome not just guidance regarding health care benefits and company-sponsored retirement programs, but also reassurance that her responsibilities will be smoothly handed off and her legacy will be secure. A valued employee who leaves for a competitor cannot be privy to the same information sharing and collaborating as someone who is leaving the industry, but he might be told that his contributions were appreciated and that the door remains open for a return. A parent who exits to stay home and raise children might remain interested in future job opportunities and alumni content. And someone laid off unexpectedly might care most about how the company can help him maintain access to benefits and find a new job—whether through traditional outplacement services or through connections to leaders or recruiters in other industries.

Ideally, offboarding programs will also be versatile enough to deal with external factors that influence employee turnover. The law firm Sidley Austin provides a good example: Early in 2020, in response to the Covid-19 crisis, it began offering exiting employees and alumni more resources related to work-life balance and mental health.

. . .

Departures are often emotional events, but a holistic, well-designed offboarding program can ensure that heightened emotions don’t prevent an orderly transition. Putting such a program in place will minimize the cost of turnover and create long-term value for both the company and those leaving. As a partner at a major corporate law firm told us: “The relationship with an employee is complex; it does not end just because the employment relationship is coming to an end.” Employee offboarding should therefore not be an afterthought; it should be a well-integrated component of the talent-management plan, using data and information from employees to drive decisions. In today’s work environment—where people frequently move from one company to the next—thoughtful offboarding has become a strategic necessity.

离职员工也许会参加一次敷衍了事的离职面谈，听上司下达一些交接工作的指示，象征性地解释下离职后的利益及资源，差不多就是这样了。有时他们会遇到不耐烦或粗鲁的管理者，更极端的情况下会被前老板和同事视为叛徒。

随意处理离职是企业常犯的错误。早在新冠疫情造成数百万人失业之前，劳动力市场就已日渐动荡。根据美国劳工统计局数据，美国人换工作的平均周期缩至4.1年，员工离职率增加。企业该好好考虑下如何管理离职了。离职管理不仅是企业人才管理越来越必要的一个部分，还是创造长期价值的机会。

一直以来，管理咨询公司会像大学对待毕业生那样对待离职员工，帮助其完成过渡，为未来的职业成功做好准备，通过校友制度保持联系。咨询公司这么做的原因很明显：以前的员工会成为未来的客户。我们认为其他行业的公司也有类似的动因，前员工可能会再回来工作，或者在将来成为客户、供应商、在职员工的导师以及公司品牌大使。2019年PeoplePath（之前名为Conenza）和康奈尔大学联合发布的一份报告表明，约1/3的企业前员工会以客户、合作伙伴或供应商的方式和之前的雇主保持联系，公司15%的新员工来自过去员工的推荐或返回的离职员工。

我们广泛研究了帮助员工成功完成过渡的最佳离职项目，结合我们自己关于离职和员工流动的研究，参考了1980年到2020年发表的关注离职过渡问题的125篇论文及企业文章。我们把这些学术论文和企业网站、报纸及杂志文章内容进行对照，采访了人力资源专业人士。本文总结的离职项目适用于和平离开公司的员工，包括主动离职或因冗余被裁员的员工。主要结论包括：明智企业会在员工离职很久前就准备离职流程，方法具有战略性、由数据引导且十分灵活。

合规只是原因之一

公司对离职流程的投资规模取决于公司战略、文化、预算和离职率，以及所处行业。但所有公司最在乎的是确保员工离职时的流程符合法律规定。精心设计的离职计划可以通过制定具体处理方法和系统化流程，管理员工离职过程，防止公司遭遇诉讼。

但法律合规只是一个开始。总体的离职计划需要和人力资源及人才管理政策整合并统一，设定离职计划目标，支持公司人才需求。组织规模和营业范围很重要，员工的技能要求和市场对这类人才的需求也很重要。正如克利夫兰联邦储备银行人力资源业务部门经理乔治·桑普尔（George Sample）说的，“所处行业竞争越激烈，人才的抢夺越紧张，就越有必要花心思和时间设计离职项目。”

最出色的离职计划也会反映企业愿景、使命和文化。公司管理层对待离职员工的方式体现了公司能否实践奉行的承诺和价值观。“当员工加入公司时，企业会努力提供最好的体验，”化学品公司Synthomer负责整合的高级副总裁迈克·奎恩（Mike Quinn）说，“同样当有人离职的时候，即便情况不理想，你也希望流程和体验能够真正反映公司整体的文化。”

离职流程如果足够人性化，执行到位，会在很大程度上让员工感到公司恪守对员工的承诺。行为学家、诺奖得主丹尼尔·卡内曼（Daniel Kahneman）将其总结为“峰值-结束原则”，人们在评价一次体验时，会根据在最高峰时期（最强烈）和结束时的体验来评价，而不会将所有经历加总。这意味着员工可能会更在乎公司如何管理离职而不是入职，离职员工和公司之间的友好关系可能会因公司对离职的不当处理而立刻烟消云散。“员工离职后，会谈起前公司和自己离职时得到的待遇，”奎恩说，“你会希望离职员工和现任员工都能意识到，员工在离开的时候依然能得到善待。”

提前做好离职准备

那么整体离职流程是什么样？听上去有点反常，但优秀企业会持续关注离职问题，而不是将其看作独立事件。离职流程不仅是安排得当的离职面谈和工作职责的清楚交接。“尽早为离职打好基础很重要。”一家大型企业律所的合伙人告诉我们。

企业的确该在招聘时就启动离职计划。管理者应该告诉新人，公司希望所有人都能待到退休，但这并不现实，无论在职还是离开，公司都会提供资源帮助员工的职业发展。员工工作期间随时可以进行职涯讨论，管理者会告诉员工有时候需要到其他地方实现其目标。

对很多公司来说，这样的坦诚是个重大转变。有关职业发展的谈话往往由于公司对离职问题的警惕而被禁止。但员工不会看不到一个事实：除了少部分情况，“铁饭碗”时代已经结束。他们知道在职业生涯中自己很有可能会换几次工作。许多能力出色的高管在职业生涯中期都会爱上领英创始人之一里德·霍夫曼（Reid Hoffman）所说的“服役期”任务，这种任务会事先规定任期以及企业对个人及组织成长的期待。

管理咨询公司和律所有所谓的“晋升或离职”文化，只有少数人能成为合伙人，因此这类企业尤为擅长让员工感到自身价值，同时也让多数人意识到自己有可能在某个时候离开公司去别处。很多此类公司都会和可能录用的求职者以及即将入职的员工分享离职计划，就像分享培训、职业发展和奖金制度一样。麦肯锡雇员加入公司后会立刻进入校友网络，而不是等到离开时。

意识到“没什么能持久”，会让雇主和员工在进行职业谈话时更坦诚。例如，奎恩多年来在各类高管职位上尝试鼓励员工坦然分享自己的情绪，例如“我不确定这家公司是否还适合我”。他鼓励管理者这样回答，“你对公司很重要，我们不想失去你，但如果公司给不了你想要的东西，我们会支持你离开，帮助你做好职业生涯的下一段准备。”奎恩承认最高管理层团队的其他人并不一定喜欢这种方式。但他的目标是在留住每位员工的同时给予足够尊重，为他们着想，在此过程中确保士气和生产力。

管理者和下属讨论职业发展时，可以用具体的行动支持谈话内容。可以给员工分配挑战性的任务、增强经验，也可以帮助他们拓展人脉、介绍外部员工，或者在员工想离职时安排内部导师和教练作为联络人。一些公司会提供“加分技能”项目，帮助员工获得无论本公司还是其他公司的招聘经理都会更喜欢的新技能。例如，亚马逊职业选择项目会为员工提供某些领域的课程并支付学费。麦当劳的“机会拱门计划”帮助员工乃至其家人获得学位，提升英语技能，和顾问一起规划职业发展。

针对中高层管理者定期更新的继任计划也许会对整体离职计划有所帮助，因为有助于开启关于下属在公司是否有可行上升渠道的谈话。（继任计划整体上有助于帮助公司在过渡时期保持连续性。）关于上升通道的谈话可以作为人才管理流程的一部分正式进行，也可以由管理者按照离职计划的指导原则随意谈起。例如Jo-Ann Stores的店铺运营和人力资源高级副总裁汤姆·威廉姆斯（Tom Williams）告诉副手自己准备五年后退休，两人的谈话最终让副手决定离开公司，因为不想花这么长时间等待晋升机会。“因为她工作很出色，所以我帮她在其他公司谋得一份人力资源总监的工作，”他说，“也许你希望员工待在公司，但是如果他们可以在其他地方找到更好的工作，为什么不帮他们一把？”

保留人才包括接受人才的离开，这种方式看似太前沿甚至有点理想化，但获益的不只是员工。预先准备离职计划，可以让管理者避免因员工意外离职而受到打击。企业可以搜集员工满意度和离职意向的数据，帮助人力资源做好预测。领导者也因此可以坦白自己对人员的需求和潜在离职率的预期，这样员工的离职才能友好收场。

研究发现，不够坦诚会给企业带来伤害。举例来说，我们采访了一位曾在某消费品公司工作的招聘人员，他告诉我们，公司管理层将离职员工视为叛徒。他说，如果你跳槽了，他们绝不会再让你回来，换工作因此成为禁忌话题。他说，如果公司能对离职抱有更开放和理解的态度，他在离开后可能会继续支持这家公司。但现在人们来询问他在这家公司工作的体验时，他回答“我必须说实话，我不推荐这里”。

离职管理

尽管今天的人才市场流动性强，离职仍然是一件让人害怕的事情。能否友好分手，取决于公司的离职计划是否承认离职员工对公司的贡献，是否提供培训等资源辅助工作过渡，以及能否为新公司提供反馈。

在认可员工贡献方面，公司应该支持管理者举办欢送会或公开感谢离职员工。各公司文化不同，一些组织会做更多事情确保离职气氛积极友好。有人亲切地将退休员工描述为荣誉雇员，类似大学在杰出教职员工退休后授予他们的荣誉地位。苹果店铺员工离职时，所有人都会聚在一起鼓掌欢送。HubSpot波士顿以外的分公司，离职员工都会参加“毕业晚会”（当然我们仅推荐对主动离职的员工使用这种说法）。

如果公司有正式的校友计划，也可以在员工离职时邀请其加入。如果是裁员，遣散费的确可以为离职员工提供经济支持，但公司也应该考虑员工的主要诉求是找到新工作。离职计划可以在这方面发挥作用。例如，爱彼迎公司员工无论是主动离职还是被动离职，公司的离职人才名录都会收录他们的档案，帮助他们寻找新的工作机会。很多公司还会为合同到期的员工提供转职就业服务：包括求职培训、职业评估、辅助打造个人品牌（帮助修改领英档案及简历），以及财务规划。最先锋的离职规划还会提供咨询等心理支持，帮助员工调整和离职相关的情绪问题。

当然，离职也是企业学习的机会。企业应该利用精心设计的离职谈话来搜集数据，做到谈话时长适中、提问标准化、数据收集保密，并在必要时用于改善实践和政策。如果还没有和员工谈过离职后保持联系，可以通过这些谈话表达意愿。最后，在离职谈话中询问员工对公司离职计划的感受，可以让企业在未来更好地管理离职，创造良性循环。3至6个月后可以进行追踪访谈，评估员工在离职和过渡时期是否获得了支持。（离职面谈的详尽指南见埃弗雷德·斯班和鲍瑞斯·格罗伊斯堡发表于《哈佛商业评论》2016年4月刊的文章“离职谈话怎么谈”）

另一点要记住的是：一些公司要求离职员工必须签保密协议才能获得遣散费和其他福利。美国彭博网就是一个著名例子：用这种方式防止前员工说自己的坏话。一些离职员工也许在入职时还签了竞业禁止协议，限制离职后的职业选择。我们建议，企业除非用于保护知识资本和专有信息，否则不要订立这样的合约，以免让员工感到不被信任。

从员工到校友

很多公司现在都将员工视为大学生：为办公室配备乒乓球桌、懒人沙发，以及其他校园生活的标配；为员工提供免费食物，发放印有公司商标的运动服。但在所有这些校园感的福利中，强大的校友计划才是最能证明企业是持续关心员工的职业和福利的。

企业校友计划方式和规模各不相同。一些由公司员工监管，并有具体的会员准则和会费。另一些只是由企业建立网络社群，前员工自己负责维系。最有野心的公司会提供整套校友设施。波士顿咨询公司、微软和德勤使用社交媒体、专门的校友网站和公司简报确保前员工和组织保持联系。这类平台可以用来展示过去和现任员工的成就，许多采访对象都指出这种方式很激励人心。例如，曾供职于克利夫兰美联储的员工告诉我们，即便在离开前公司十多年后，“在新闻上看到前公司的重要事件或重大进步，我仍然感到和那里工作的人息息相关。”

另一种和校友互动的方式是，让他们参加职业发展工作坊和系列讲座。这类活动可以通过在线研讨会和播客方式进行，全球校友都能参与。内容往往和真实世界发生的事情相关。2020年4月新冠疫情发生后，波士顿咨询公司邀请校友参加线上活动，学习如何在全球危机中进行管理。还可以邀请知名校友讨论职业相关话题。例如宝洁校友网络近期为校友开设了名为“向领导者学习”的播客，请前员工来发言。一些公司还会针对退休人员提供帮助，因为很多退休员工会在离开组织后寻找志愿职位或重新找工作。

也许最重要的是，校友计划通过欢乐时光和重聚等有趣的活动为员工创造了维持社交关系的机会。例如易趣会邀请同一时期加入公司的离职员工和在职员工参加“××（年份）届员工”晚宴。高层也会利用重聚活动向校友更新企业的发展方向和战略并获得反馈。咨询公司的此类活动非常坦率，毕竟咨询顾问很少羞于表达自己对于公司发展运营的意见。

具有前瞻思维的企业还有另一个战略，是为校友继续提供折扣优惠和员工辅助项目等福利。领英的所有员工都享有领英高级会员。雀巢公司有校友折扣，可以折扣价购买一系列产品和服务，包括电子产品、度假产品、汽车和娱乐项目。为各种规模的企业提供校友计划的公司EnterpriseAlumni建议企业通过邀请离职员工参加志愿工作或集体活动保持联络。

此类项目在商业上很有益处。和此前的研究结论一样，我们的采访也表明，参加校友计划的员工更有可能为公司推荐新员工，或再回来工作。德勤等公司甚至以现金方式奖励成功推荐新员工入职的校友。公司还可以请校友来做项目，担任付费导师甚至全职的工作。博思艾伦咨询公司（Booz Allen Hamilton）会从前任员工信息数据库中寻找短期工作、临时工作和项目所需的人才。雪佛龙公司提供桥梁项目，校友可以承担外包工作，提供咨询服务。美国旅游中心（TravelCenters of America）也很乐意返聘校友，公司招聘主管克里斯蒂安·佩雷斯（Christian Perez）称，“公司的‘回旋镖项目’为的是再次联系那些因其他机会而主动跳槽的优秀员工，让这些员工看到公司认可他们曾经的贡献，想回来随时欢迎。熟知公司业务是我们招聘很看重的价值。”

研究表示，更多雇主可以从定制化的校友项目中获益。PeoplePath和康奈尔大学的研究报告称，员工更喜爱有正式校友计划的企业，这些公司在Glassdoor上的评分高出平均分16%。但多数企业似乎错失了这个强化品牌的机会。2009年特温特大学的一项研究发现，尽管调研企业中只有15%有正式校友网络，但67%有员工自发组织的非正式校友群。领英有超过11.8万企业校友群，但多数和“母校”企业没有正式关系。这导致前雇主对很多在群组活跃的前雇员缺乏控制力。

客服思维

离职不能一刀切。离职员工需求各异，也不是所有人都希望在离开后继续和前东家保持联系。尽管离职项目很重要，人力资源部门和部门管理者在处理员工离职时的判断也很重要。

根据员工离职原因、未来去向、离职大环境的不同，合适的处理方式也不太一样。例如，全职和兼职员工的待遇也许会有不同：很多企业为兼职员工提供的离职计划很有限。一位退休高管可能不仅希望获得关于医保和公司退休计划方面的指导，还希望确保自己的工作平稳交接，继任者继续实施自己的战略。一位跳槽到对手公司的重要员工也许不能像离开该行业的人一样分享信息和协作，但公司可以表示感激其贡献，随时欢迎回来。

退出职场在家照顾孩子的员工也许会对未来的工作机会和校友信息有兴趣。意外失业的员工也许最关心公司如何帮助自己继续享受福利并找到新工作，无论通过传统的转职就业服务还是通过领导者或招聘人员在其他行业的人脉。

理想情况下，离职计划还应足够灵活，以应对影响员工离职率的外部因素。律师事务所Sidley Austin的做法值得学习：2020年初，为应对新冠危机，公司开始为在职员工和离职员工提供更多和工作生活平衡以及心理健康相关的资源。

离职往往会带来各种情绪，但从整体出发，精心设计的离职计划可以确保员工的情绪不会影响工作过渡。公司建立这类机制可以将离职带来的成本降至最低，并为公司和离职员工创造长期价值。一家大型企业律所合伙人告诉我们：“公司和员工的关系很复杂，雇佣关系的结束并不意味着这种关系也结束。”员工离职计划不该是马后炮，而应被整合到人才管理计划中，企业应善用来自员工的数据和信息进行决策。如今人们在职场频繁跳槽，企业用心制定离职计划已经成为必要的战略。

本文选自《哈佛商业评论》2021年4月出版杂志

艾莉森·达赫尔是约翰卡罗尔大学博勒商学院管理学副教授。艾琳·马吕斯是艾克朗大学工商管理学院管理学副教授。

艾莉森·达赫尔（Alison M. Dachner） 艾琳·马吕斯（Erin E. Makarius）| 文

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