Managing resignations
On August 29, Silver Strikers Football Club hired Abbas Makawa, who resigned from Masters Security, to replace Peter Mgangira and enhance its chances of winning the TNM Super League title after five years.
Resignation is the formal withdrawal of an employee from a position one bears. It affects employees’ behaviour and organisation work environment. Some employees voluntarily resign while others do so involuntarily for a variety of reasons.
Following the May 21 Tripartite Elections, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has been calling for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah to resign.
Resignations occur in any organisation and human resource managers should know the art of handling the situation and its consequences.
Recently, MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said the commission cannot hold by-elections in Lilongwe South East because the current environment is too volatile.
Every year, the health sector experiences brain drain of skilled employees due to resignations.
Without effective ways of managing resignations, there is always dissatisfaction in the workplace.
The magnitude of what individuals value and their perceptions in the workplace are highly variable in understanding why employees resign .
Ansah says she will not resign before the court makes a ruling on the election case. This demonstrates her values.
It is key in understanding a diverstiy of employees’ values when handling resignations.
It is important to respond quickly to the changing environment to mitigate both staff and organisational challenges.
Resignations sometimes create bottlenecks that stifle the development of the organisation. South African Airways (SAA) chief executive officer Vuyani Jarana resigned due to lack of progress in the turnaround of the loss-making airline.
In his resignation letter, Vuyani stated that funding uncertainty and slow decision-making processes made it impossible for him to assure SAA board and the public that the airline’s turnaround strategy was achievable.
Sometimes employees resign if they see their services are not being accepted in the organisation. Most of these resignations happen in the early days of one`s contract or during probation.
Last month, presidential adviser on parliamentary affairs Uladi Mussa resigned on personal grounds three months after his appointment.
Before giving an appointment letter to the successful candidate, always ensure that background or reference checks are done to avoid forced and personal resignations.
Puerto Rico governor, Ricardo Rossello announced his resignation after nearly two weeks of overwhelming mass protests triggered by a leak of a crude chat with his top advisers.
When resignation is given under extreme pressure, it is advisable to allow reasonable time to pass.
In other cases, employers offer employees an opportunity to resign, but there is always fear that some may consider the matter as constructive dismissal as they are somehow forced to resign.
Forcing employees to resign its not an easy way out without compelling evidence of serious misconduct.
Before giving employees an option to resign, human resource managers must consider that employees choice may be influenced by several factors, including the knowledge of the consequences and long-term impacts of the choice.
Sometimes , employees step down to avoid unnecesassry confusion caused by unclear lines of responsibility and interference by other departments.
Oly llunga, former minister of health in the Democratic Republic of Congo, resigned after President Felix Tshisekedi shifted the management of the raging Ebola crisis to a multi-disciplinary team that would report direct to him.
In his resignation letter, he bemoaned interference, blaming the president for creating two centres of power in his ministry.
Seasoned human resource managers always arm themselves to tackle resignation conditions listed during exit interviews.
Better handling of resignations avoids misconceptions among various stakeholders and retains trust in the workplace.
