What is an employee departure announcement?

An employee departure announcement notifies the company about an employee leaving and may include key details like the departure date, the reason for leaving and sometimes plans for the employee’s future.

It can also provide information about how responsibilities will be transferred, who to contact for ongoing matters and any farewell events. The goal is to keep the team informed and ensure a smooth transition.

Why should you create an employee leaving announcement?

Announcing an employee resignation is a helpful part of your organizational communication strategy with benefits such as:

• Being a source of truth. By making a formal announcement and sharing accurate details, you can help prevent misinformation that may spread through workplace gossip.
• Fostering transparency. A transparent workplace creates a culture of trust and supports higher employee satisfaction. You can improve transparency by informing your team of important changes ranging from information regarding the departing colleague or updates to roles and responsibilities in the interim.
• Enabling a smooth transition. When an employee leaves, the rest of the team may need to handle their duties and help with the transition. Alerting them to the departure and providing information about how the transition will be handled can potentially help reduce stress.
• Offering emotional support. A colleague leaving can be an emotional time for your employees. By letting them know about it ahead of time, they can have a final conversation with the departing team member and say goodbye.

How to announce an employee’s departure

Having a standard method for announcing employee resignations strengthens your communications and creates consistency. Consider these steps for an employee leaving announcement.

1. Choose the communication method

Email is a common method for sharing announcements with employees, but it’s helpful to consider your company’s usual communication methods. Some companies prefer communication and collaboration software to share important announcements.

Choose the method most commonly used in your organization. You might share the announcement via multiple channels, such as instant messaging, email and verbal announcements. Ensure all employees who need it receive the information clearly.

2. Identify the recipients

The recipient list often depends on the size and structure of your business. For a small company, consider sending the announcement to everyone. If you run a larger organization, you might only send the departure announcement to the employee’s team and other teams they interact with frequently.

Consider who will be impacted by the person leaving. Even if a department won’t be affected by the employee leaving, letting team members know gives them a chance to say their farewells and have the most updated information about the transition of duties.

3. State the purpose

State the point quickly with the announcement to ensure the recipients read and understand the context of the communication. You may lead with the name of the departing employee, their current position and last day of employment.

4. Add specific details

The amount of detail you include in the announcement depends on the situation. For privacy reasons, the departing employee may want to keep some details confidential. Ask them if they want you to share the reason for them leaving. Consider how much information the team members need about the departure.

5. Include next steps

Telling employees what they can expect in the coming weeks and months may help ease their concerns and answer any questions they may have. It can also make the transition easier and reduce the amount of stress within the team. You might mention your plans for the open role, such as your timeline for hiring a new employee and who will handle the responsibilities in the meantime.

For the purposes of the announcement, keep these next steps general and applicable to a large number of employees. You can work with smaller groups of employees on the details that impact only them. For instance, the person’s immediate team may divide the responsibilities until you find a replacement. Those team members should receive individual instruction and information on which duties they’ll handle.

6. Mention farewell celebrations

If you’re planning a going-away event, be sure to include those details in the announcement. This will let employees know that there will be an organized opportunity to connect.

7. Share your gratitude

Consider including your appreciation for the employee in the announcement. This helps support a culture of gratitude and allows that employee to leave on a positive note. Mention a few specific accomplishments if possible to personalize the announcement.

8. Include contact information

Provide contact information for employees who might regularly interact with the person who is leaving. This can include details on the interim employee or your contact information in case team members have concerns about the transition.

Template for an employee departure announcement

Having an employee departure announcement template on hand lets you send out an announcement efficiently when an employee leaves. The following template provides a general employee leaving announcement. Customize it to reflect your company’s brand and to fit each individual departure.

Dear [Company Name] Staff,

I am reaching out to share the news about [Employee Name]’s departure from the team at [Company Name]. [Employee Name] has decided to embark on a new journey to [departure reason]. Their final day with the company will be [employee’s last day]. After this date, please direct all questions and communication to [Interim Employee’s Name]. We will keep the team updated as we work toward finding a replacement.

[Employee Name] has been an important part of the team for the past [number] years. Their expertise and contributions have helped us launch several successful projects over the years. We wish them continued success in their future plans.

Join us to celebrate [Employee Name] one last time at a farewell party on [date] at [time]. We’ll have cake in the office break room and give all of the team members a chance to share their final farewells.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about the transition, please contact [Name of Point Person].

Sincerely,

[Your Name, Your Title]

Example of an employee departure announcement

Here is an example of what that announcement might look like:

Dear Mint & Basil Organics Staff,

I’m reaching out to inform you of Francesca Garza’s departure from the team at Mint & Basil Organics. Francesca has decided to embark on a new journey to earn her Ph.D. Her final day with the company will be November 1. After this date, please direct all questions and communication to Maria Sharpe. We will keep the team updated as we work toward finding a replacement.

Francesca has been an important part of the team for the past five years. Her expertise in organic processes and contributions have helped us launch several successful projects over the years. We wish her continued success in her future plans.

Join us to celebrate Francesca one last time at a farewell party on November 1 at 2 p.m. We’ll have cake in the office break room and give all of the team members a chance to share their final farewells.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about the transition, please contact Lee Wang in the Human Resources department.

Sincerely,

Brooks Hampton, Director of Marketing

FAQs about announcing employee resignations

Who should send the employee departure announcement?

It’s common for the department manager or the person’s direct supervisor to write the departure announcement. They have the most information about the transition and can provide details in the communication. The human resources department may handle the announcements. If you have a dedicated communications team, they may send the announcement after the supervisor or manager writes it.

When should you send out the announcement?

Sending the notification as soon as the departure is confirmed gives the recipients enough time to make any adjustments to their routines. It also helps you prevent workplace gossip. In addition, team members have time to say goodbye before they leave.