Questions to Answer Before Replacing a Staff Member.
A resignation is a chance to review the role before advertising it again. These questions help you check what the agency needs, what should change and what to tell candidates.
When someone resigns, the immediate concern is covering their work. Advertising the same role can feel like the quickest way to get things back to normal.
Before using the old job ad, review what the person actually did. The role may have changed considerably since they started.
What work are they really leaving behind?
Compare the position description with their current responsibilities.
Ask the departing employee to identify:
Regular tasks, deadlines and unfinished matters.
Work they have taken on outside their original role.
Relationships and knowledge others rely on.
Problems they manage that may not be visible to you.
An office administrator may also be fixing campaign errors, helping agents use the CRM and managing supplier relationships. Those responsibilities need to be accounted for.
What can we learn from their departure?
Give the person room to explain their decision without arguing with their answer.
Ask what made the job harder than it needed to be, what support was missing and what they would change for their replacement.
One departure does not establish a pattern. But if several people have raised the same concern, address it before someone else joins.
Does the role still make sense?
Look at whether its responsibilities belong together and whether the workload is realistic.
Perhaps a sales assistant now supports three agents instead of one. Perhaps a senior property manager has become responsible for training, complaints and a full portfolio.
Decide what the replacement will own, what will move elsewhere and what support will be available. Avoid carrying an overloaded role into the next appointment.
What experience is genuinely needed?
Separate the skills required from day one from those your agency can teach.
A property manager taking over complex matters with limited supervision needs different experience from someone joining a department with a hands-on team leader.
Be honest about your training capacity. Hiring someone less experienced only works if someone has the time and ability to support them.
What needs attention before the replacement starts?
Check for overdue work, incomplete records and unresolved client issues.
Give each outstanding matter an owner and a next step. Where something cannot be resolved before the new person arrives, document its status clearly.
An incoming employee should know what they are taking over. Discovering a backlog after being told everything is under control can damage trust early.
What will we tell candidates about the role?
Agree on a clear account of:
The workload and main responsibilities.
Who they report to and who supports them.
Any existing problems they will help resolve.
What you expect them to achieve in their first few months.
Use this review to update the position description and job ad. Candidates should be assessing the role as it will operate when they join, rather than the job someone started several years ago.