Employee Farewell: Should We Include an Appreciation Letter with the Experience Letter?

Dear All,

When an employee leaves the company, can the company give him/her an acknowledgment letter appreciating his/her contribution to the company, along with the experience letter? Can this be done, or is the experience letter enough? Kindly pour in your thoughts.

Regards,
Kopal

Hi, when he has left your services peacefully, there is no harm in giving such a letter. But remember that he can use the information in such a letter against you to prove the number of years of service, the amount of salary, etc.

S.M. Paranjape, Advocate

Dear Sir,

Can you kindly elaborate on the point? Because I thought that this letter could be a token of appreciation from the company. Besides, the company will be giving him/her the experience letter.

Regards, Kopal

Hi! An employee can be relieved from his/her duty if he/she has fulfilled their company exit requirements. Some companies have exit interview forms with the dues clearance form, which can help them determine whether they can relieve a particular employee or not.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

Hi Mr. Kopal,

There are some court matters I have come across where employees, after receiving a certificate from the employer, have filed cases against the employer alleging that their services were terminated illegally without following due legal procedures, even though their conduct was good. Such a certificate serves as proof of the tenure of service (for calculating the amount of gratuity, retrenchment compensation, etc.), good conduct, and other facts stated therein. This has occurred in small-scale industries where employer-employee relationships were severed verbally. If the employer has documentary evidence to demonstrate that the employee's services were terminated in compliance with the law, there should be no cause for concern.

S.M. Paranjape, Advocate

Hi,

Appreciation for what? And appreciation to whom? Take a case of an employee resigning in two years' time, will you give appreciation? In 5 years? 10 years? And after 10 years, if he joins a competitor, will you issue a letter? Also, who should issue this letter – the concerned department or HR? I advise departments not to issue any letters on the company's letterhead.

I typically issue an Experience letter which includes the following:
1. Date of joining
2. Salary at the time of joining
3. Date of leaving
4. Salary at the time of quitting
5. Promotions received with dates
6. Any special awards received
7. Reason for leaving

I do not mention anything about character as it is not a character certificate. It is just an experience certificate.

Siva

Dear Seniors,

Can anyone please tell me what are the various exit formalities a company is liable to proceed with during the termination of its employees?

Regards,
Aarti Khanna