Ways to end the taboo of employee departures

To help normalise departures, establish transparency around the employees' career goals in relation to the organisation's goals.

When a manager regularly zooms out and look at the big picture of what the business needs from the employee and where the employee wants to go in their career, they'll know when the person's career goals are diverging from what the organisation needs.

Many departures of employees happen when expectations aren't met.

Managers should clarify their expectations of the employee often, such as meeting deadlines or response time to client communication. Employees should also communicate their expectations of the job with their manager, such as not answering email after-hours. If expectations can't be met on either end, there's probably a better fit out there.

The point of a manager is to set your employees up for success. If you are an excellent manager, it means that your people will grow out of their current role and be promoted or take a job elsewhere.

To make employee departures a cause for celebration, we need to see them as whole people on their own journeys.