1.1 This policy establishes a structured, transparent, and legally compliant framework for managing all forms of employee separation from the Organization, including voluntary resignations, mutual separations, retirements, end-of-contract separations, and involuntary terminations. The primary objective is to ensure that every exit is handled with dignity, fairness, and consistency while protecting the Organization's operational continuity, intellectual property, and employer brand. This policy further aims to facilitate knowledge transfer, recover Organization assets, and generate actionable insights through structured exit processes that inform retention strategies.

1.2 This policy applies to all employees of the Organization regardless of employment type, grade, department, or geographic location, including full-time, part-time, fixed-term contract, probationary, and temporary employees across all subsidiaries and affiliated entities operating under the Organization's governance structure. Where specific separation scenarios are governed by collective bargaining agreements, statutory redundancy schemes, or jurisdiction-specific employment regulations, those provisions shall prevail to the extent of any conflict, and this policy shall apply supplementarily. Independent contractors and consultants are governed by the terms of their respective service agreements and are excluded from this policy unless expressly referenced.

1.3 The Head of Human Resources, or such senior HR leader as may be designated by the Chief Executive Officer, shall serve as the policy owner and shall bear accountability for the implementation, interpretation, and periodic review of this policy. The policy owner shall ensure that all managers, HR Business Partners, and relevant stakeholders understand their obligations under this policy and that adequate systems, templates, and training are in place to support consistent application. The policy owner shall report to the executive leadership team on a quarterly basis regarding exit volumes, turnover trends, exit interview themes, and any compliance concerns arising from the separation process.

2.1 Employees who wish to resign from the Organization shall submit a formal written resignation letter or complete the designated resignation form, addressed to their direct manager with a copy to the HR department, clearly stating the intended last working day in accordance with the notice period stipulated in their employment agreement. Verbal resignations shall not be treated as effective until confirmed in writing. The HR department shall acknowledge receipt of the resignation in writing within 2 business days, confirming the applicable notice period, the calculated last working day, and the next steps in the exit process. Employees are expected to continue performing their duties with full professionalism throughout the notice period.

2.2 The standard notice period for voluntary resignations shall be as specified in the employee's offer letter, employment agreement, or the Organization's compensation grade structure. Typical notice periods range from 30 days for individual contributors to 90 days for senior management and executive roles. The Organization reserves the right to waive all or part of the notice period at its discretion, with or without payment in lieu of notice, depending on business requirements and the nature of the role. Employees who request early release from their notice period must submit a written request to their manager and the HR department, and approval shall be at the sole discretion of the Organization. Where an employee fails to serve the full notice period without authorisation, the Organization may recover the equivalent salary amount from the employee's final settlement.

2.3 Employees who wish to withdraw a previously submitted resignation must submit a formal written withdrawal request to their direct manager and the HR department before the resignation has been formally accepted and processed by the Organization. The Organization shall consider withdrawal requests on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether a replacement has been recruited or offered, whether business restructuring has been initiated, and whether the withdrawal is made in good faith. Acceptance of a resignation withdrawal request shall be at the sole discretion of the Organization and shall require the joint approval of the employee's manager and the HR Business Partner. The HR department shall communicate the decision to the employee in writing within 5 business days of receiving the withdrawal request.

3.1 Upon confirmation of an employee's separation, the HR department shall initiate a structured exit process within 2 business days. This process shall include the assignment of a knowledge transfer plan to be completed before the last working day, handover of all ongoing projects, responsibilities, and client relationships to the designated successor or manager, recovery of all Organization assets including laptops, mobile devices, access cards, keys, and any other company property, revocation of access to all Organization systems, applications, email accounts, and physical premises effective on the last working day, and completion of the Organization's exit clearance checklist signed off by the employee's manager, IT department, Finance department, Administration, and the HR department.

3.2 The departing employee's direct manager shall be responsible for developing and overseeing a comprehensive knowledge transfer and handover plan that must be substantially completed before the employee's last working day. The plan shall cover all ongoing projects with their current status and upcoming milestones, key internal and external contacts and relationship context, access credentials for shared systems and tools used by the team, location of critical files, documentation, and records, and any pending decisions or approvals that require transition. The manager shall designate a successor or interim owner for each responsibility and shall conduct a handover review meeting no later than 5 business days before the employee's last working day to verify completeness. The HR department shall provide a standardised handover template to facilitate consistency across departments.

3.3 The IT department shall revoke all system access for the departing employee, including but not limited to email accounts, VPN access, cloud-based applications, internal collaboration platforms, code repositories, customer relationship management systems, and physical network access, by the close of business on the employee's last working day or earlier if directed by the HR department for security reasons. All Organization data stored on company-owned devices shall be securely backed up and then wiped in accordance with the Organization's information security policy. Personal data stored on Organization devices shall be handled in compliance with applicable data privacy regulations, and the employee shall be given a reasonable opportunity to remove personal files before the device is wiped. The IT department shall provide written confirmation of access revocation and device processing to the HR department within 2 business days of the employee's last working day.

3.4 The employee's final settlement, including any outstanding salary, accrued leave encashment, pro-rated bonuses, and reimbursements, shall not be processed until the exit clearance checklist has been fully completed and signed off by all designated departments. Where Organization assets are not returned or are returned in a damaged condition beyond normal wear and tear, the replacement or repair cost may be deducted from the employee's final settlement in accordance with applicable labor laws and the terms of the employment agreement. The Finance department shall prepare the final settlement statement within 15 business days of the employee's last working day, and payment shall be made within 30 calendar days of the last working day or within such shorter period as required by applicable law. The HR department shall provide the employee with a detailed breakdown of the final settlement and any deductions applied.

4.1 The HR department shall conduct a confidential exit interview with every departing employee, ideally during the final week of employment but no later than the employee's last working day. The exit interview shall be conducted by an HR representative who is not the employee's direct manager to encourage candid feedback. The interview shall cover the employee's reasons for leaving, their overall experience with the Organization, their relationship with their manager and team, their assessment of growth and development opportunities, compensation and benefits satisfaction, and any specific suggestions for organizational improvement. Employees who decline an in-person interview shall be offered the option of completing a written exit survey.

4.2 Exit interview data shall be aggregated, anonymised, and analysed by the HR department on a quarterly basis to identify patterns and trends in voluntary turnover, recurring concerns across departments or management lines, and actionable areas where the Organization can improve employee retention, engagement, and satisfaction. The HR department shall prepare a quarterly exit trends report for the executive leadership team that includes turnover rates by department and grade, the top five reasons cited for voluntary departure, manager-specific feedback themes where patterns indicate systemic issues, and recommendations for targeted retention interventions. Individual exit interview responses shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to the departing employee's manager in a manner that could identify the individual without the employee's express consent.

4.3 The Organization shall use insights derived from exit interviews as a strategic input to its broader talent retention strategy, management development programs, compensation benchmarking exercises, and workplace improvement initiatives. Where exit data reveals consistent concerns about a specific manager, department, or organizational practice, the HR department shall initiate a review and recommend corrective actions to the relevant Division Head within 30 calendar days. The effectiveness of retention interventions implemented in response to exit feedback shall be tracked over subsequent quarters to assess whether they produce measurable improvement in employee satisfaction scores and voluntary turnover rates. The policy owner shall include a summary of exit-driven improvements in the annual HR report to the Board of Directors.

5.1 The Organization shall issue all statutory and contractual separation documents to the departing employee within 30 calendar days of their last working day, or within such shorter period as required by applicable law. These documents shall include a formal relieving letter confirming the employee's last working day and that they have been relieved of all duties, an experience or service certificate detailing the employee's designation, tenure, and a brief description of responsibilities, applicable tax documents such as Form 16 or equivalent withholding statements for the applicable tax year, and any other documents required by local employment regulations or the employee's employment agreement. The HR department shall maintain copies of all issued documents in the employee's personnel file for the period specified in the Organization's records retention policy.

5.2 All post-employment obligations contained in the employee's employment agreement, confidentiality agreement, or any other binding instrument, including but not limited to confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations, non-compete restrictions where enforceable under applicable law, non-solicitation of employees and clients, and intellectual property assignment clauses, shall survive the termination of employment for the duration specified in the respective agreements. The HR department shall provide the departing employee with a written reminder of their surviving obligations during the exit process, and the employee shall acknowledge receipt and understanding of these obligations in writing before or on their last working day. The Organization reserves the right to pursue legal remedies for any breach of post-employment obligations in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreements and governing law.

5.3 The Organization shall maintain a complete and auditable exit record for each departing employee in the HR information system or designated records management system. The exit record shall include the employee's resignation letter or termination notice, the completed exit clearance checklist with departmental sign-offs, the exit interview summary or survey response, the final settlement calculation and payment confirmation, copies of all separation documents issued, and any correspondence related to the exit process. Exit records shall be retained for a minimum of 7 years from the employee's last working day, or for such longer period as may be required by applicable tax, labor, or regulatory retention requirements. Access to exit records shall be restricted to authorised HR personnel and shall be subject to the same data privacy protections applicable to active employee records.