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# When a colleague leaves

Learn how, as an HR admin, you record that a colleague is leaving. Heartsome then takes care of much of it: the end date on the contract, ending their access and a checklist for the rest.

#### Where do you find it?
You can start in two places:
* People → \[name] → Employment → Record leaving (under Contracts).
* In the People list: the three dots next to the colleague → Record leaving.

#### How to record leaving
1. Click Record leaving.
2. Choose the Last day.
3. Under "Why is \[name] leaving?", choose the reason:
   * Resigned, or left at their own request
   * Fixed-term contract ended
   * The company ended the employment. Then also choose How?: during the probation period, by mutual agreement, for long-term illness, for business reasons, through the court, or summary dismissal. For companies in the Netherlands, the illness and business options mention UWV permission.
   * Retirement
   * Passed away
   * Something else
4. Click Save.

Your payroll needs the reason, because a reason has to be reported for every leaver. Only HR admins see it. The colleague and their manager don't.

||| Note: the colleague sees the end date on their own contract as soon as you save. So record a dismissal after the conversation, not before.

#### What happens when you save?
* **The contract gets an end date.** Heartsome sets the last day as the end date on every contract still running. If the colleague has two contracts side by side, both end.
* **A card appears at the top of Employment** with the last day, the reason and a checklist of what still needs arranging. See [Working through the leaving checklist](https://help.heartsome.co/en/article/working-through-the-leaving-checklist-1et9le5/).
* **In the People list** the colleague gets the label "Leaves \[date]". After the last day it becomes "No longer employed".
* **On your Pulse** the action item "Finish \[name]'s offboarding" appears.
* **The night after the last day**, access to Heartsome ends automatically: the account is suspended and any admin roles are removed. If the colleague never accepted their invitation, it's withdrawn and they're back to Not invited yet.

Is the last day already in the past? Then access ends as soon as you save. Heartsome tells you before you do.

#### Changing the leaving
Has the last day changed, or is the reason wrong? Click Change on the card. Heartsome moves the end date on the contracts along with it and shows which contracts move.
While the leaving is open, you can't change the end date or add a new contract on the contract pages. Everything else on the contract, such as salary, hours and files, you can still edit as usual.

#### Cancelling the leaving
Is the colleague staying after all? Click Cancel leaving. Heartsome asks what should happen to the contract:
* **Remove the end date**: the colleague stays on the contract.
* **Keep it ending on \[date]**: for example if you want to add a new contract afterwards.

Was their leave already settled? Then Heartsome also asks what should happen to that. See [Settling leave when someone leaves](https://help.heartsome.co/en/article/settling-leave-when-someone-leaves-ur3zej/).

If you cancel after the last day, the colleague can log in again. Admin roles don't come back by themselves: give them back on the colleague's Permissions page.

#### Suspend or remove?
* **Suspend** ends access straight away and keeps the roles. Only use it if access needs to end before the last day, for example after a summary dismissal. In that case, record the leaving first and then suspend.
* **Remove** deletes the colleague and their whole history for good: contracts, documents, time off and absence. Employee and payroll records often have legal retention periods. So when someone leaves, record the leaving first. You can always remove them later.

If you choose Suspend or Remove for someone whose leaving hasn't been recorded yet, Heartsome offers Record leaving instead.

#### Good to know
* **Is the colleague the account owner?** Then Heartsome can't end their access. Only the account owner can hand the account over to someone else. Ask them to do it before their last day. They'll also see this on their own Pulse. If it can't be done any more, contact Heartsome.
* **Is someone coming back later?** Don't create a new employee: rehire the former colleague instead. See [Rehiring a former colleague](https://help.heartsome.co/en/article/rehiring-a-former-colleague-1q33hac/).

#### Who can do this?
Only HR admins and the account owner can record, change and cancel a leaving and work through the checklist. A Manager sees the end date on a team member's contract, but not the reason or the checklist.