When An Employee Leaves Rutgers - Termination

When preparing for an employee's termination, you need to keep in mind there are two types of termination:

• Employee-Initiated Resignation: Voluntary termination for any reason other than formal retirement.
• Supervisor-Initiated Termination: Termination requested by the supervisor.

When an employee leaves the department or the University, the following checklist can be used to ensure a smooth transition.

(Note: This checklist below is designed for most University employees. Individual departments and employees may require additional or different actions or arrangements upon separation. Please consult your divisional/departmental policies for special requirements.)

Employee’s Checklist for Termination

• Before the employee leaves
• When the employee leaves
• Special Materials

Before The Employee Leaves:

Taking the following steps prior to separation (time and circumstances permitting) will help facilitate a smooth transition.

• Employee should notify you of the separation date as soon as possible so that you can submit the terminating Personnel Data Record (PDR) to Payroll Services.
• Direct your employee to consult the Termination of Employment Life Event web page or contact the UHR Benefits Office for information about benefits at Termination.
•  Provide a copy or direct your employee to obtain a copy of the Staff Separation Questionnaire, with a self-addressed envelope to allow your employee to send the questionnaire directly to:

  Office of Employment Equity
  57 US Highway 1
  New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8554

•  Inform your employee to contact Parking and Transportation Services regarding reimbursement for time remaining on a University parking permit.
•  Inform your employee to contact Payroll Services if their home address will change before W2 forms are mailed.

When The Employee Leaves:

Ensure the following steps are taken to facilitate an orderly transition of functions.

Your employee should turn into you:

• All keys and access cards
• Their RU Connection Card
• One-time password tokens (for example, Secure ID, SAFEWORD)  

The following are additional steps that should be taken if have specific access to University property and financial resources. 

Your employee should:

• Return University equipment (pagers, cell phones, computers, tools, etc.) to you
• Return petty cash funds to your departmental budget manager
• Check with you to ensure all cash advances are cleared.
• Update the documentation of work processes for which the employee had primary responsibility.

Special Materials:

If the employee works directly with Hazardous or Controlled Materials, these additional steps may be required.

• Ensure all chemicals, radioactive materials, and other hazardous materials or samples are properly labeled, stored, and/or disposed.
• Visually inspect the employee's work area prior to separation for any hazardous or controlled materials that are not stored properly.  Secure all hazardous materials. Contact Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety (REHS) if you have specific questions.
• Require employee to turn in any radiation dose monitoring badges to REHS.

To submit a comment or to report any problems with this site, please email us. For questions about University Human Resources programs and services, please email our Operations Team.

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Last Updated: 02/19/2007