Handling Voluntary Resignations

You can't stop people from quitting on you. But you can:

• Request advance notice: Ask employees who resign to give you some warning ahead of time.
• Request an exit interview: Ask the employee to fill out a form or participate in an exit interview.
• Be sure the resignation was truly voluntary: If the employee felt forced to quit, the situation should be treated as a firing.

Of course, you can't force a departing employee to follow your procedures any more than you can make him or her stay. However, you can suggest that if the employee follows your procedures, that will allow you to give a good job reference and tell any prospective employers that the worker was responsible and cooperative.