You’ve just recruited a new employee.
There’s a welcome lunch. A proper onboarding plan. A buddy system. Their first 90 days are mapped out. You’ve thought about how they’ll feel walking in on day one.
Three years later they hand in their notice.
Suddenly the energy shifts. It gets a little awkward. They’re managed out quickly, access gone, desk cleared, a brief handshake and a generic “all the best.”
The same business that spent months winning them over just lost them in a week.
And that person is going to keep talking. To other candidates. To potential clients. To people in your industry. Especially in NZ, where everyone knows everyone.
You don’t just lose an employee when someone walks out the door.
You lose every future conversation they’ll ever have about you.
Why the exit experience matters more than you think
People who leave on good terms become advocates. They refer talent back to you. They recommend your services to clients. They speak well of you in rooms you’ll never be in.
People who leave on bad terms? They do the opposite.
And in a market as small and connected as New Zealand, (2 degrees of separation small) that word travels fast, and it travels far.
So what does a good exit actually look like?
01 Have an actual offboarding process
Not just a checklist for returning equipment. A real, considered process that treats the exit with the same care as the entry. What needs to be handed over? What does the person need to leave well? What does the team need?
02 Do exit interviews – and actually listen
Not to talk people out of leaving. To genuinely understand why. The feedback you get in an exit interview is often the most honest you’ll ever hear. Use it.
03 Let people leave with dignity – even if it’s complicated
Sometimes exits are messy. Emotions run high. But how leadership handles the hard ones says everything about the culture. Keep it professional, keep it human.
04 Stay connected where it makes sense
Alumni networks aren’t just for universities. Some of your best future hires, referrers, and advocates are people who’ve already worked for you. Don’t burn that bridge on the way out.
The businesses that get this right understand something important:
The employment relationship doesn’t end when someone hands in their notice.
It just changes shape.
And if you treated people well on the way in, on the way through, and on the way out, that reputation compounds over time.
In a small market like NZ, that’s not just good practice.
It’s a genuine competitive advantage.
Think about the last person who left your business.
Be honest, did they leave feeling good about it?
And if not… what would you do differently? 👇
First published in Sarah’s LinkedIn newsletter, Recruitment Rambles. Read the original edition on LinkedIn.
