Leaver's Policy

Introduction

OCS Group is committed to ensuring staff leaving the organisation pass through an efficient and thorough handover process. An ineffective leaving process can introduce risks regarding the security of information, while costs may be incurred where equipment is not satisfactorily returned in good time and in working order. A well-managed leaving process helps to ensure that the transition is as smooth and stress-free as possible for both the leaving member of staff and the line manager.

Even where staff are transferring to different roles or different business units, it is good practice to follow the leaver's procedure outlined in this policy.

These guidelines incorporate best practice on data and information management.

Objectives

From OCS's perspective a sound leaving procedure helps to ensure that:

• Managers understand their responsibilities and have a clear process/checklist to follow to ensure quality
• Staff understand what is expected from them
• Security of ECC information, premises etc is maintained
• All badges, borrowed ICT equipment, company cars, credit cards etc is returned in a timely manner

From an employee perspective, leaving a job is an important and potentially stressful event, particularly in cases of retirement, redundancy etc. A well managed process will have a positive impact on the employee's lasting impression and experience of OCS.

Key Principles

Responsibility for leavers

It is important to be clear about the responsibility for leavers, particularly in terms of the individual employee and their line manager's role within the process.

Management responsibilities

The manager is responsible for:

• Acknowledging the resignation of an employee in writing or issuing other appropriate written confirmation of termination in consultation with their HR support.
• Establishing last working day and any leave entitlement etc.
• Complete the Leavers Form which ensures that HR is notified that the employee is leaving.
• Ensuring the Leavers Checklist (HUR-035) is followed and completed, beginning two weeks before the employee's end date, with appropriate notification to the leaving employee of what is required from them and when.
• Ensuring adequate handover of work tasks and business continuity.
• Ensuring any company property is returned.
• Ensuring that the security of OCS data is maintained.

Employee responsibilities

The leaving employee is responsible for:

• Working with the manager to follow the Leaver's Checklist (HUR-035), completing any tasks and returning any items requested in good time.
• Sign and complete the Leaver's Checklist when requested to do so by manager.

HR responsibilities

Divisional HR is responsible for:

• Giving advice, guidance and support to Line Manager as required.
• Completing an exit interview with a random selection of staff employees who leave voluntarily and raising any highlighted issues with business management and reaching agreement on actions.
• Completing any reference requests received in line with company policy.
  Central HR is responsible for:
• Completing the leaving action on SAP and issuing the P45.
• Emailing or posting the Leavers Questionnaire (HUR-034) out to salaried leavers who resign from their employment with OCS.
• Compiling quarterly statistics on leaving reasons identified.

Notice Periods

The period of notice employees are required to give OCS is outlined in their Principal Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment.

Leavers Form

The Line Manager must complete a Leavers Form as soon as the leave date is known in order to avoid the possibility of an overpayment being made. This form should only be used when an employee is terminating their employment with OCS.

For employees undertaking internal transfer or redeployment, an e-RAPs or ED1-B is required. An e-Rap or ED1-A would also be required to confirm the position is vacant.

Leaver's Checklist (HUR-035)

The Leaver's Checklist (HUR-035) is comprehensive and has to account for different working situations across the country. As a result not all the issues highlighted will apply to each leaver, so it is up to the manager to determine which issues are applicable.

The checklist should initially be worked through approximately two weeks before the employees end date.

Finally the checklist should be signed by employee on their leaving date, and countersigned by the manager to confirm that everything has been completed and all items returned.

The main areas covered by the checklist concern:

• Access to IT-based systems (for example email, SAP etc)
• Identity cards, car park passes, door security codes etc.
• The return of any business and personal information held by the employee (electronic and/or paper copies).
• Return of all property including lease cars, ICT equipment etc.
• Reimbursement of any fees & financial assistance.
• Submission of any fuel, Barclaycard or expense claims.

ICT Equipment & Access

The Line Manager must notify ICT via the Helpdesk of the employee's leave date so that they may cancel the employees e-mail account and remove their access to company computer systems on their last day. The employee's details will then be deleted from the Intranet Telephone Directory and Departmental web pages.

ICT equipment within the employee's possession is to be confirmed and a return procedure is to be agreed. These items could include laptops, mobile phones / Blackberry, remote access keyfobs, 3G cards etc.

Identification Badges & Site Access

The Line Manager must arrange to cancel the employee's OCS proximity / ID card with the actual ID card also being returned to the Line Manager on the last day of employment. Additionally, car parking badges and access fobs to car parks need to be collected from the employee by the line manager, and door security codes are to be reviewed and changed as required.

If the employee also holds ID / proximity badges or keys to a client's site, the client should also be advised of their leaving date so that access can be cancelled.

These items must also be returned to the client on or before the employee's last day.

Finance

If the employee is recorded on the OCS Group Authorised Signatory list, the Line Manager must notify Finance of the termination date.

Company Cars

The employee is responsible for ensuring that the car is returned into their line manager or other agreed person on their last working day of employment in a clean and road-worthy condition. The Line Manager is responsible for ensuring the returned car meets these standards and that all sets of keys, log books and service records also returned.

Divisional procedure should then be followed regarding the reallocation of the car or return to central storage.

Recovery of Outstanding Overpayments

Staff who may be repaying any salary overpayments by instalment should expect the final balance to be deducted where possible from their last pay. Additionally, any remaining season loan payments will be recovered in this manner. OCS will require any further outstanding monies to be paid with immediate effect.

Return of company property

The following items are to be returned to the line manager on or before the employee's last day:

• Any OCS branded items of clothing including uniforms, PPE etc
• Original or copied documents, whether electronic or paper
• Keys to such items as company vehicles, buildings, storage cabinets
• Any miscellaneous items of company acquired property.

Refer to the Leaver's Checklist (HUR-035) for a full list of items.

Failure to return these items may lead to the items being reported to the police as having been stolen.

Exit Information

OCS operates an exit interview process in line with its values of continuous improvement and valuing the contribution made by members of staff.

Purpose of exit information

The purpose of the gathering information from employees who resign is to:

• Identify the reasons why staff leave, particularly in areas where turnover is high;
• Discover any underlying issues and problems that may be of concern;
• Discover any issues that can be addressed in order to improve retention;
• Monitor the recruitment and selection process, particularly in relation to any mismatch between the advertisement and the job in practice, and any failures in the selection process;
• To find out if any improvements can be made to any existing job for any new employee.
• Contribute to increased long term performance.

Leavers Questionnaires (HUR-034)

Once a Leaver's Form is received by the HR Service Centre (HRSC), a Leaver Questionnaire (HUR-034) will be posted or emailed to all permanent salaried staff who has resigned voluntarily from their position for any reason.

Analysis from these questionnaires will be produced on a quarterly basis and will provide information that can be used as a basis for assessing employment practices, policies and procedures.

Exit Interview

Divisional HR may conduct more detailed exit interviews with a random selection of staff employees who leave voluntarily. Line Managers should advise HR of any exceptional circumstances regarding the departure of any staff e.g. an employee who has left without working their notice period.

Prior to an exit interview being conducted, HR is to obtain a current copy of the employee's job description, training record and most recent appraisal. A copy of the completed Leavers Questionnaire (HUR-034) should also be obtained by the Divisional HR contact or a blank copy taken with them to be completed as part of the interview.

Direct contact with the employee should be made to arrange a mutually convenient time for the interview to take place.

The interview and questionnaire cover the reasons for leaving, working relationships, induction, training and development, pay and benefits, career prospects, communication, job satisfaction, work-life balance, supervision and resources / equipment.

Specific information gathered as part of the exit interview which may be of concern to OCS Group is to be escalated to an appropriate level of management by the HR representative. In these circumstances, permission to disclose this information should be obtained from the departing employee. Anonymity will only be granted if another employee's health is not at risk. Please refer to the separate policy on Whistleblowing.

The interview notes and/or completed Leaver's Questionnaires (HUR-034) are to be posted to HR Shared Services, who will file this information onto the employee's personnel file.