One of your key players—a top recruiter who’s built relationships with high-value candidates and kept your hiring pipeline strong—just gave their two weeks’ notice.
Do you keep them on board through their notice period to wrap things up, or let them go immediately?
In most cases, it’s your call (unless a contract says otherwise). But before making a decision, consider the bigger picture—how this move affects your team and most importantly, whether your company has a centralized system in place to capture and retain the departing employee’s essential knowledge. If you don’t have an organized way to document key information, their departure could mean more than just losing an employee, it could mean losing valuable business intelligence, too.
Should You Use or Lose an Employee’s Final Two Weeks?
In some cases, letting them go right away is the right choice, especially if they have access to sensitive company data, could cause tension within the team, or have already mentally checked out. If possible, offer “garden leave” which is when you pay them for the remainder of their notice but have them step away immediately. This keeps things professional while protecting the business.
However, immediately cutting ties isn’t always the best move. If employees see that anyone who gives notice is immediately shown the door, they might start thinking, “Why even bother?” That kind of culture can backfire, making people more likely to walk out without warning, leaving you scrambling to fill the gaps. But a well-handled notice period can be an asset, not a liability. It’s a chance for employees to transfer responsibilities, document key processes, and wrap up projects, ensuring a smooth handoff for the team.
The key is having a system that makes those final weeks count. Without one, will you have the information you need at your fingertips, or will you be left sifting through emails, documents, and notes, trying to piece everything together?
What’s a Knowledge Base, What’s a Wiki, and Why Do We Need One?
A knowledge base is a centralized system where a company stores, organizes, and shares critical information, making it easy for employees to find what they need. A wiki is a specific type of knowledge base designed like an internal Wikipedia where employees can collaboratively create, edit, and search for information in real-time. While a traditional knowledge base is often more structured and controlled, a wiki is more flexible and encourages team contributions.
If your company doesn’t have a centralized system for storing important information, now is the time to put one in place. Basic file storage solutions like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox help organize documents, while knowledge management tools like SharePoint, Confluence, Notion, and Guru provide a more structured, searchable, and collaborative experience.
With the right system, critical knowledge stays within the company, preventing information loss when employees leave and ensuring seamless transitions. But what does that look like in practice? Let’s compare two companies, one that has a solid system in place and one that doesn’t.
Company A: Prepared and Proactive
Emily, a top recruiter, gives her two-week notice. She’s been leading major hiring initiatives and has built strong relationships with candidates. Fortunately, Company A uses Sharepoint as its structured knowledge management and collaboration tool, and Emily’s HR team relies on Attract & Hire, a tool with their human capital management (HCM) platform that captures candidate communications, interview schedules, and hiring strategies in one place.
When Emily leaves:
- Her team can easily access every hiring project she was working on.
- Interview notes and candidate conversations are right where they need to be.
- The recruiting process doesn’t stall because everything is documented.
The transition is smooth, and hiring continues without disruption.
Company B: Scrambling to Recover
Alex, an HR specialist, also gives notice. He’s been leading a compensation benchmarking project, but his work is scattered—some in personal spreadsheets, some in email drafts, and some in Post-it notes stuck to his desk. At Alex’s company, employees function in more of a siloed information management. While the tools they all use are standardized, the lack of uniform structure means information is scattered, making it difficult for others to locate, access, or make sense of key documents and processes when needed.
When Alex leaves:
- No one can find the most up-to-date salary research.
- His sources and progress are unknown, stalling the project for months.
- Frustrated employees wait longer for salary adjustments.
Without an organized system, Company B struggles to recover, losing time and productivity.
Stay Informed with Commonwealth Payroll & HR
Change is inevitable, but staying informed on best practices helps you navigate it with confidence. Whether it’s handling employee transitions or keeping payroll and HR processes running smoothly, having the right knowledge makes all the difference. Contact us today and let us know how we can help!
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