Professional employees - terminations

prof employer

When you and a professional (doctoral level) employee mutually agree to a termination with a severance contract, how do/would you handle the following:
1. How long does the professional have access to his/her private office after the termination meeting?
2. How long does the professional receive their post-termination e-mails that arrive from his/her colleagues? Do they read their e-mail on-line or only in printed form?
3. How long after the termination do you have your e-mail manager set the professional's e-mail account to 'reject' incoming e-mail.
4. Do you allow the professional to take a copy of their e-mail address directory when they leave?
5. Do you allow the professional to make and take copies of their pre-termination saved e-mails?
6. Do you allow the professional 'active' access their e-mail account to turn off their list-servs that auto-reply to the list-members when the account is set to 'reject'? Or does the e-mail manager turn off the list-servs?
7. How long do you allow the ex-employee access to telephone voice-mail messages?

Sorry for so many questions! Responses to any or all will be helpful. Thank you.

Cinderella

This is how we do things around here whether or not someone is terminated, quits, no matter their level/status/education/etc:
#1 They don't. Their things are boxed up and left for them at the front desk.
#2& 3 Since we prohibit personal use of company property, this includes emails. The terminated employee has no access to any systems once the termination meeting is conducted. As a courtesy to internal and external customers, the IT department will set up a generic auto-response message stating the employee is no longer with the company for approximately one month. It also states who to route emails/calls to during the interim.
#4 No copies of their email directory are given since anything on the system is considered company property.
#5 No copies of anything are given to the employee after termination meeting (again, company property).
#6 See #2&3
#7 Again, the IT dept sets up a generic message (but this time on their phone) stating the employee is no longer with the company and to route calls to whoever is taking over during the interim.

We're big meanies!

Cinderella

Betty I_O

We must be "meanies", too! Once the professional employee terminates, all
is handled about the same as Cinderella's organization. HR notifies IT--the e-mails, etc. end the day of the termination. We also have a genereic message to re-route e-mails, but only for two weeks and only if requested by the Manager.

karenosi

When one of our employees resigns, they are allowed to work until the end of their notice (whether it's 2 days or 2 weeks). Once they meet with HR for the exit interview, we collect keys, security badges, passwords, etc., so no further access is allowed. If they haven't thought to retrieve personal addresses and items from their computer prior to the last day, that's their fault.

When an employee is terminated or laid off, access to the computer is disabled while the termination meeting is taking place. When it's over, they are escorted back to their work area or office by their direct manager and supervised while they clean out their personal belongings. If they request a list of their personal email addresses we will provide that to them, but they are not allowed back into the system. We learned a harsh lesson with a former employee who sent a very long email to our president disputing the termination and also sent one to all employees telling them he had been fired. Since then we have our IT Dept. disable access.

Whatever

We do the same as all the above but, since anything on the computer belongs to the company, we do give them any e-mail addresses. There should be no personal e-mails on a company computer. It is suppose to be used for business only (however, there is a reality).

prof employer

The professionals I was referring to are educators/scientists, who must have national/international colleagues/reputations to work in their position. The e-mails they might request are from colleagues with whom they do not keep in constant touch - i.e., they won't be able to anticipate the colleague's request for information/advice. Scientists usually remain colleagues when they go to another job, participating at association meetings and in national and regional committees, etc. The personal items are books, files, etc. That said, it seems that some education/science organizations are using generic termination practices. Doesn't it prejudice the employee at their next job, with their colleagues? Especially if, for example, a professional listserv is flooded with 'rejection' replies because the listserve isn't shut down?

I don't think I could march an employee of mine out the door with their briefcase and coat - I guess I'm a softie. Being new to HR issues, I don't understand the need to be harsh. Whatever happened to 'send off' parties???!!!!!

Crout

We don't have separate personnel policies based on the level of education, and I don't think you guys should either. Are your employees treated differently if they "only" have a Bachelor's degree? Or is that reserved for high school grads and below? I think it's a bad practice.

gillian2

This is probably an educational establishment or something similar where collegiality is part of the culture. Perhaps others who have left have had similar treatment. Having said that, I don't think it is a good idea, either. If the cord has been cut, it should be cut and think of the employees and others who remain and who wonder why you are letting this person participate as if he were still employed.

Balloonman

I think some folks might be getting to hung up on email addresses. With palm pilots in lieu of day timers the addresses of personal and home are on the computer though seperated on the palm by categories.
Now people should be synching their palm frequently, so it should not be an issue. However, while I would not allow email to go out, I do thing it would be reasonable to allow a person to synch their palm prior to leaving in the event of a fairly peaceful departure.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman