Exit management in architecture and interior firms

Notice tied to the project stage

Thirty days in probation and sixty after confirmation is common for architects and designers, with ninety for associates who lead projects. Time the handover to the project stage: a designer leaving just before a submission should hand over drawings a week earlier, not on the last day. Once HR records the resignation, the last working day is fixed and the person shows as on notice, so the principal can reassign projects the same week.

Files, versions and client contacts

Design files are the firm's product. Ask the departing designer to move every live file into the project folders with the latest versions marked, list open client queries and pending revisions, and introduce the successor to the client and key vendors. Check that nothing sits only on a personal laptop or in a personal cloud account. Treat project handover, file transfer and client introductions as separate items on the exit checklist.

• Latest versions of all live files in project folders
• Pending revisions and client queries listed
• Successor introduced to client and vendors
• Laptop, software licences and access cards returned
• Personal copies of project files deleted

Portfolio, confidentiality and future work

Most designers will show studio work in their portfolio. Agree the policy in advance: which projects may be shown, with the firm credited, and nothing unpublished or confidential without permission. Remind the person of the confidentiality undertaking at exit. If a departing designer later approaches the firm's clients, the appointment letter and undertaking are what the firm relies on, so both need to be clear from the start.

Settlement and intern completions

Draw up the dues during the notice period: salary up to the last day, leave encashment as per policy and any bonus the policy says is payable, less recoveries such as a salary advance, within the rules on deductions. The wage payment rules allow two working days from the exit to pay it; issue relieving and experience letters. Interns do not resign in the same way: at the end of the training period, issue the completion certificate, fill in the college's forms, and note the best as future hires after graduation.

How to set it up in ZeniaHR

1. Log the resignation in the employee's record; it fixes the last working day and switches the status to on notice.
2. Use per-grade overrides in the Work terms policy so associates who lead projects serve a longer notice.
3. Use the exit checklist for project handover, file transfer, client introductions, and laptop and licence return.
4. Pick the closest of the 20 structured exit reasons and add a note, so patterns show up over a year of exits.
5. Enter encashment, any payable bonus and recoveries as payroll inputs; an off-cycle run pays the settlement within two working days.
6. Keep relieving, experience and intern completion letters in each person's documents.

Read more about employee records and exits in ZeniaHR.

Roles this applies to

Frequently asked questions