In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, much attention is given to recruiting top talent and designing strong onboarding experiences. Many Nigerian companies invest heavily in employer branding, recruitment pipelines, and orientation systems. Yet when employees eventually leave, the same level of care and strategy is rarely applied. In several African organisations, offboarding still feels more like a checklist than a thoughtful process.
Offboarding — the last step of the employee lifecycle — often gets overlooked, even though it can have a significant impact on culture, reputation, and future talent attraction. While most organisations focus on basics such as retrieving company devices, disabling system access, and processing final salaries, a growing number of HR experts argue that this is far too limited. A well-managed offboarding process is an opportunity to learn, strengthen relationships, and build long-term goodwill with former staff.
Research from the Alumni Research Institute (2022) shows that 72% of employees would consider returning to a former employer if they had a positive exit experience. In an era marked by boomerang hiring, remote work networks, and global mobility, this statistic matters. Offboarding shouldn’t signal the end of a relationship — it should open the door for future collaboration.
Departing employees, whether leaving voluntarily or due to restructuring, also hold valuable insights. They often have honest, unfiltered perspectives on leadership performance, communication gaps, workflow challenges, and cultural issues that may not surface during their tenure. Despite this, only 29% of organisations conduct meaningful exit interviews, according to a 2020 Harvard Business Review report. Others treat exit interviews as a mere formality or skip them completely, losing a chance to gather data that could strengthen retention and morale.
Beyond the strategic value, offboarding has an emotional dimension. For many workers, colleagues become a support system, and the workplace becomes a community. When someone leaves after years of contribution and receives a cold, transactional farewell, it can feel dismissive. This reaction also affects those who remain. A Deloitte Human Capital Report (2023) revealed that 47% of employees judge company loyalty based on how exiting colleagues are treated. People observe, reflect, and ask themselves: “Will this be my experience one day?”
Forward-thinking organisations are reframing exit processes. Some host appreciation gatherings to acknowledge contributions. Others maintain alumni networks through newsletters, communities, and periodic meetups — especially in industries where high-skilled talent is scarce, such as tech, finance, engineering, and healthcare. These initiatives reinforce the idea that ex-employees remain part of the wider ecosystem and can return in the future as clients, partners, or rehires.
Additionally, offboarding has become a brand moment. In a digital age where former employees openly share their experiences on LinkedIn or review sites, how an organisation manages exits shapes its public image. A respectful, supportive offboarding approach not only shows maturity but also boosts referrals and long-term trust.
For Nigerian companies competing in an increasingly global talent marketplace, strengthening the offboarding experience is no longer optional. As mobility increases and job transitions become more frequent, organisations must decide whether they want to build environments people feel proud to leave — and perhaps more importantly, proud to return to.
