A Guide to Successful Offboarding

The Transition Trilogy Part 2: Creating a Culture of Continuity

Staff leave schools. Every year. 

It is part of the natural cycle of the education system, can be positive for sharing best practice, reignites passion and is sometimes a necessary part of life.  Yet all too often, much too little thought is given to the offboarding process, resulting in staff feeling undervalued and discarded, which is damaging for the morale of those who remain. 

Generally a great deal of focus, time and attention is given to onboarding new staff. There are well written timelines, policies, welcomes, gifts, introductions and activities to make sure that people are fully informed and feel welcome and excited to start. How interesting it is that so much thought, care and effort can be put into welcoming in strangers, whilst sometimes little thought, care and effort is put into managing the emotions around those who are leaving. Surely the two processes should mirror one another?

In worst case scenarios, having poor off boarding procedures creates a culture of disregard for the establishment and in staff ‘checking out’ during their last term. Standards can start slipping and school protocols start to be ignored. The effects of this ripple throughout the organisation with the impact ultimately being felt by the students themselves. This can leave a sour taste and make future relationships strained. Current staff see how little individuals are actually valued and dread the consequences when it is inevitably their turn to leave. 

In best case scenarios, high standards are consistent up until the last day of term, spirits remain high and relationships endure. There are schools who do an excellent job of this, creating a feeling of community and belonging amongst all current and previous stakeholders. Here are a few easily replicable lessons from the best:

Clear communication

Thought needs to be given to who is told, when and how. The messaging needs to be agreed so that reputations are preserved and the school community is reassured. Too often we delay letting the community know that someone is leaving until their replacement is found but this can be frustrating for the next school, who are not then able to announce their new recruit. This lack of transparency can also feed the rumour mill and actually increase insecurities and uncertainty. Equally the news should not be released too soon as there will always be those who treat others differently once they know they are leaving. Timing is crucial and thought needs to be given to the announcement so that it is best received. 

Creating consistency

Anyone leaving a school holds a wealth of knowledge about the students, resources, systems, contacts and procedures which needs to be passed on. Each member of staff is, in the end, a member of a relay team, handing on the baton to the next person in order to ensure success for their students. For the relay to be won, a successful transition is crucial. 

As part of the offboarding process, consider what knowledge needs to be passed on so that the new member of staff doesn’t have to start at a disadvantage. Make sure that time is planned and a checklist is mutually created to cover all bases. To go one step further is to arrange a meeting or call once the new person is in post to answer any further questions which arise once they have begun. 

Contracting

There needs to be careful contracting and agreement about who will lead on the processes for the following year. This is even more magnified in senior leadership.

Who will write the school/department development plan? Who will be responsible for employing and onboarding new staff? Who will be creating the timetable and deciding on important dates? If too much responsibility is given to the new member of staff too soon it can cause resentment and create tension as they are not yet being paid for the responsibility and will still be trying to juggle their current role and responsibilities. 

Equally, it is important to value input from the current leader as they are the ones who have built the team and culture and will know where strengths and weaknesses lie. 

Clearly this needs to be a collaboration and the conversation needs to be transparent and fair. Here are just a few of the many things to consider:

• Who will be interviewing new staff?

• Who will make final decisions about recruitment?

• Who will decide on class/resource allocation?

• Who will be responsible for new year documentation?

• Who will meet with new students and parents?

Contributions valued

In toxic workplaces previous teammates are blamed for mistakes, but never praised for their contributions. Make sure that all members of the community only hear positive anecdotes about those who have left - they will be listening to hear how their stories will be told once it is their turn to leave.

Be sure to name check previous members of staff whenever possible: saying how proud former sports teachers would be of current results and how previous music teachers would be delighted with performances; using catch phrases and pictures of previous community members; and including past names and faces in displays. All of this signals to those future, past and present members of the community that they will continue to be valued once they have left the school.  

Continuation

In strong and healthy school communities, former staff, students and parents are recognised as being part of the history and rich culture of the school. They are acknowledged, talked about positively, included in events and welcomed whenever they come back to visit. 

Some schools form Alumni Associations where those who have left still receive newsletters from the school and are invited back to important events like productions and anniversary celebrations. At the very least, make sure that the school office maintains an updated contact list of previous employees and sends seasonal greetings and event invitations to all who have left in the last 3 years. 

“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.”

Richard Branson

I am increasingly convinced that strong leadership is about creating a culture where all are seen, listened to, valued and celebrated. Giving careful consideration to offboarding procedures, and then including and celebrating people once they have left is a clear indication to previous, current and future employees that your school is a community that cares. This is the very foundation of psychological safety and crucial if you are looking to create a culture which people won’t want to leave.