Exit management for chemical and plastics plants

Notice and crew cover

An operator's notice is usually one month and a shift engineer's two to three. The day a resignation arrives, check what it does to the crew minimum and the reliever plan, and start preparing a replacement from the reliever pool. Avoid letting two experienced people from the same crew leave in the same month; where the employee agrees, a later last working day for one of them costs little and keeps the crew safe.

Exit medical and health records

For workers exposed to hazardous substances, an exit medical examination closes the health record with a final set of results. It protects the worker, who has evidence of their health at exit, and the company, which has a record if a claim arises years later. Keep the exit medical in the employee's file for as long as your medical officer and state rules advise.

Clearance checklist

An open permit with a leaver's name on it is a real risk, because nobody is left to answer for it. Close or reissue every permit before the last shift, remove the person from the authorised issuer list that day, and deactivate the access card at the gate.

• Open permits closed or transferred
• PPE, gas detector and breathing apparatus returned
• Access card and locker key
• Tools and instruments returned to stores
• Shift logs and training duties handed over
• Advances and canteen dues settled

Settlement and rehiring

Wages are due within two working days when an employee leaves for any reason. The settlement covers pay to the last day, encashment of unused earned leave, approved overtime and shift allowances for the final month, plus gratuity where the person has completed five years of continuous service. Operators often leave for an offer in a nearby estate and return a few years later. Rehire them with a short refresher on process changes and a fresh medical, not a full induction.

How to set it up in ZeniaHR

1. Record the resignation in Employees to fix the last working day and move the employee to on notice.
2. Open offboarding, tick through the 8-item exit checklist department by department, and record which of the 20 structured exit reasons applies.
3. Add the exit medical report to the leaver's documents where your medical officer advises one.
4. Enter final shift allowances and leave encashment as payroll inputs; approved overtime reaches payroll as an earning.
5. Settle dues in an off-cycle run whose paid days end on the exit date, so wages go out within two working days.
6. Review exit reasons by crew and department each quarter to spot patterns such as shift fatigue or pay gaps.

Read more about employee records and exits in ZeniaHR.

Roles this applies to

Frequently asked questions