TOOLKIT RECRUITING & SELECTION ARTICLE: Time For A New Mission

By Karen Burton, SHRM-SCP, SPHR  

Navigating organizational and employee transitions requires clear communication, proactive planning, and strategic oversight to maintain operational stability. Effective management of these shifts, ranging from individual promotions and resignations to company restructuring, helps mitigate hidden costs and prevents workflow bottlenecks. 

Employee Transitions: This could be due to a voluntary resignation, involuntary separation, temporary or permanent reassignment, or promotion. In all cases, communication is key. Employee transition plans can be effective when an employee resigns or transitions out of their role.
For internal moves, discuss employee goals to find the best fit for both the employee and your company. Using temporary assignments may help determine if there is a good fit before permanently assigning someone to that role. This can also work well if you have an employee out on extended leave. You should assign employees to help train the transitioning employee. This eliminates the guessing of who needs to be available for training and for what task. Make sure to outline what specific tasks, clients, etc. will be the transitioning employee’s responsibility prior to the transition process taking place. For voluntary resignations, it is important to conduct an exit interview to identify what worked well and what could be improved upon.

Company Transitions: These could be internal restructuring, merging with another company, acquiring another company, selling your business, or dissolving your business. Action items include a strategic review of current operations, capital, and debts. Things to evaluate include adjusting workflow, merging redundant teams, and eliminating non-essential costs. Questions to ask yourself may include: Will your company’s form of organization change? If you are selling the business, will you maintain an ongoing consulting role? Is there a need for non-compete agreements after the sale? 

If you are expanding your company, it is important to consider that workflows that worked well for a small team may not work for larger teams. Hidden costs to avoid include managing remaining employees who may feel insecure about the changes, training fees, legal considerations, and software upgrades. 

It has been our pleasure to bring this final segment of our HR Toolkit Series to you. Whether you are a business owner looking to sell, a career veteran ready to retire, a professional ready to tackle a new challenge, or a first-time manager nervous but ready to lead a team, we can help!

HR Toolkit Checklist_Transition
The Final Splashdown – Transitions