Employee Separation

I. Scope

This policy applies to all staff and faculty (“employees”) of William & Mary as a whole university, and replaces the prior Employee Clearance Policy. This policy does not apply to student employees.

II. Purpose

To designate that separating employees fulfill all offboarding requirements prior to their departure, including the return of university property, resolution of outstanding fines and balances, and communication of ongoing work. 

This policy also establishes that Managers (or designated appointees) complete termination actions in Workday, develop a transition plan, and provide appropriate communications related to the employee’s departure.

III. Definitions

Employee - Faculty and staff regardless of benefit eligibility or length of service.

Designated Appointee - a person designated by the supervisor to enter an employee’s termination into Workday and/or organize the collection of university property from separating employees.

Manager/Supervisor - Used interchangeably. The Manager or Supervisor is the person to whom the separating employee reports.

Retirement Specialist - Primary contact in UHR for retirement and retirement plan related questions.

Separation - Retiring, resigning, or terminating for any reason, including transfer to another state agency.

Stakeholders - Areas throughout the university with a potential financial or compliance interest in the employee’s separation.

Timely Manner - Within 24 - 48 hours (1 - 2 business days) of the employee or Manager/Supervisor becoming aware of the pending separation date, OR at least 2 - 4 weeks prior to departure, whichever comes first.

IV. Policy Statement

As a condition of employment, all members of the William & Mary community are obligated to maintain the Code of Ethics and abide by the policies located in the Policy Library.

It is the policy of the university that separating employees must return all university-owned property, resolve all outstanding financial and compliance obligations (including fees, fines, or other amounts owed), and complete all required offboarding steps prior to their departure.

Responsibility for managing and completing the offboarding process resides with the employee and the employee’s supervisor and/or designated appointee[BS1] . Stakeholders are responsible for developing, maintaining, training, and posting policies and/or procedures applicable to the specific employee separation requirements for their areas.

The Workday termination process serves as the official record for employee separations.

IV. Procedures

A. For Separating Employees

An employee who is separating from the university should notify their manager in a timely manner and provide a written notice of resignation that includes the last work date and reason for departure.

The employee is required to complete the following items prior to the last day:

• Employee Offboarding Checklist – Complete and submit the checklist to their supervisor for review. This serves as the employee’s acknowledgement that outstanding property, items, and balances due to university stakeholders have been resolved.
• Update contact information in Workday – Update personal mailing address (for W-2 and COBRA information), personal phone number and email address.
• The Tribe Knowledge Transfer Form is an optional item the employee may complete in collaboration with their manager. The form facilitates the transfer of valuable institutional knowledge and tasks prior to the employee’s departure.

1. Transfer to Another State Agency

If transferring to another state agency, the last day on payroll at William & Mary and the first day on payroll at the new agency should be consecutive dates. This reduces the likelihood of a break in service and/or loss of health coverage. Please note that dates cannot overlap.

2. Unused Leave Balances

With the Manager’s approval, employees who have accrued annual time off and stop working before the end of a pay period may record available annual time off through the end of that pay period (this means the last day of pay can also be a leave day). For employees who are retiring, the retirement specialist can assist with eligibility for using accrued annual time off prior to the retirement date.

Eligible unused leave balances will be paid out, usually in the pay period following the employee’s last paycheck, provided stakeholders have fully approved the separating employee (See Employee Accountability and Financial Responsibility below). Please note that payout of unused leave can be impacted by failure to settle outstanding property and financial obligations. Payout limits apply based on employee classification (Operational/Classified; Professional/Professional Faculty) and/or years of service. Please note that unused annual leave is not transferable.

3. Employee Accountability and Financial Responsibility

Prior to, or upon separation from the university, the employee will return all university property, including but not limited to:

• Laptops and monitors
• Books, periodicals, and library materials
• Keys, parking hangtag or decals, and other access devices
• Media and records
• Loaned equipment, including computers and software
• Credit cards and university identification cards
• Student records or other confidential materials
• Equipment purchased under ADA should be returned to the ADA/Employee Accommodation Coordinator within the Office of Compliance & Equity

Additionally, prior to, or upon separation from the university, the employee will settle all debts, fines, or other monies owed to the university, including, but not limited to:

• Outstanding travel and non-travel cash advances
• Payroll overpayments
• Library fines
• Parking fines
• Any other outstanding payments owed by the employee to the university.
• To the extent permitted by law, balances left unsettled at the time of separation will be recovered by the university through deduction from any applicable payout of unused leave, or through the university’s collections process.

B. Managers/ Supervisors
When a supervisor becomes aware that an employee will be separating from the university or confirms that an employee has separated for any reason, the supervisor (or designated appointee) must complete the following steps in a timely manner as part of the Employee Separation process.

• Initiate the termination business process in Workday and upload the resignation notice.
• Review the Employee Offboarding Checklist with the departing employee. This serves as the employee’s acknowledgement that outstanding property, items, and balances due to university stakeholders have been resolved.

The following items are optional and helpful. Forms can be found on the UHR Offboarding webpage:

The Tribe Knowledge Transfer Form serves as a tool to assist with transfer of institutional knowledge, project status, and other information from the departing employee that may be helpful during the transition and future onboarding.

The Offboarding Checklist for Managers serves as a tool for managers to ensure critical change management steps are taken for successful offboarding and to plan for successful future onboarding.

C. Stakeholders

Notifications will be sent to stakeholders as part of the Workday termination business process.

Stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

• The employee’s home department
• Parking Services
• Bursar’s Office
• Information Technology (IT)
• William & Mary Libraries
• Procurement Services
• Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
• Office of Compliance & Equity (for Statement of Economic Interest filers)
• Reves Center

For employees of The Batten School of Coastal & Marine Science on VIMS campuses: additional stakeholders include Facilities Management, IT, Safety, and Finance

1. Stakeholder Guidelines

Stakeholders are responsible for developing, maintaining, training, and posting policies and/or procedures applicable to the specific employee separation requirements for their area. Stakeholders should communicate directly with employees to resolve any outstanding financial issues.

Unresolved financial interests related to separating employees should be communicated to the Payroll Office on or before the employee’s last day on payroll. Unresolved financial interests that have been communicated to the Payroll Office prior to the separated employee’s last day can be eligible for recovery when paying out unused leave, which usually occurs the payroll following the employee’s final payroll.

V. Data Management

 

All records related to employee separation, including Workday transaction data, must be maintained in accordance with the university's Records Retention policies and applicable state regulations.

VI. Authority, Interpretation & Amendment

This policy was approved by the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer on 8/3/2026 and replaces the Employee Clearance policy. The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is responsible for oversight of the separation policy.  The CHRO may amend or revise this policy at any time with the approval of the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

VII. Related Policies and Documents

Exiting the University 
Offboarding for Managers
Employee Offboarding Checklist (pdf)
Offboarding Checklist for Managers (pdf)
Tribe Knowledge Transfer Form (pdf)