Timing exits around tours and seasons
A month's notice during probation and one to two months after confirmation are common. For tour managers, agree the last working day after their last scheduled tour returns, not in the middle of one, because nobody can hand over a group halfway through Switzerland. Seasonal tour managers on fixed-term contracts end on their contract date without a resignation, and their gratuity is paid pro rata. Log each resignation the day it arrives, so operations knows the leaving date early.
Handing over bookings and clients
A consultant's open bookings are the company's revenue. Before the last day, the consultant lists every open enquiry and booking with its status, pending payments and promises made to customers, and a named colleague takes each one over. Corporate travel desk staff hand over the client's travel policy, approvers and pending trips.
- Open enquiries and bookings with status
- Pending customer payments and refunds
- Promises made to customers
- Corporate client travel policies and approvers
- Booking system and email access removed on the last day
Cash floats, advances and passes
Three items need special attention. The tour cash float must be settled by accounts against bills before the last day. Any salary advance is recovered in the final settlement within the rules on deductions from wages. And airport entry passes, client site access cards and company ID cards must come back, because an unreturned airport pass is a security issue for the airport and for the company that sponsored it.
Final settlement and rehiring
Work out what is owed: salary up to the final day, any encashable leave, pending incentives on travelled bookings and tour allowances for completed tours, less recoveries. Under the wage payment rules, this has to be paid within two working days of the exit. Choose the exit reason carefully, since seasonal contract ends and resignations tell very different stories. Keep good seasonal tour managers on a rehire list, and call them before the next season's hiring begins.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Record resignations the day they arrive; the profile then carries the last working day and the on-notice flag for operations to see.
- Put notice periods for probation and for confirmed staff in the Work terms policy, overriding by grade for branch managers.
- Use the exit checklist for booking handover, cash float settlement, and airport pass and ID card return.
- Tag each exit with the closest of the 20 structured reasons, so seasonal contract ends never mix with resignations.
- Pending incentives, tour allowances and recoveries go in as payroll inputs, and an off-cycle run pays the settlement on time.
- Keep a rehire list of seasonal tour managers, and file relieving letters in their documents.
Read more about employee records and exits in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
See exit management for travel and tourism companies in a demo
We set up your locations, shifts and rules on a video call and show it running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
When should a tour manager's last working day be?
After their last scheduled tour has returned and the cash float is settled, never in the middle of a tour. Agree the date when the resignation is received, and plan the replacement for later departures, so no group is left without a tour manager.
What should a travel consultant hand over before leaving?
Every open enquiry and booking with its status, pending customer payments and refunds, promises made to customers and, for corporate desks, the client's travel policy and approvers. A named colleague should take over each item before the last day, and booking system access should end that day.
Why must airport entry passes be returned at exit?
The pass gives access to secure airport areas and is issued against the company's sponsorship. A pass that stays with a former employee worries airport security and can land the sponsoring company in trouble, so its return should be a checklist item cleared before the final settlement.
How is a tour cash float settled when a tour manager leaves?
Accounts settles the float against bills and receipts before the last working day, outside payroll. Any shortfall is handled under the settlement policy, and anything recovered from the final settlement must stay within the limits on deductions from wages.