# Initiate a Separation

Open a separation for an employee and work the clearance checklist through to the last day.

A separation opened from the administrative side covers everything a resignation does, plus the cases an employee would never start: a retirement, a fixed-term contract ending, a dismissal.

- Select **New Separation** on the Offboarding screen and choose the employee.
- Set the **Exit Type**. Resignation, Retirement and End of Fixed-Term Contract are the common ones, and the type is what most reporting groups by.
- Record the **notice period** and the leaving dates. Worklink calculates one from the notice, and you can set an agreed date beside it.
- Work the record's tabs as the leaving date approaches. **Clearance** is the one with the most in it.

  ![A separation record for Kwame Boateng, Warehouse Operative in Warehouse and Logistics, with an Employee chip, a View Profile button and a More Actions menu. Tabs read Details, Clearance, Exit Interview, Documents and Process Timeline. A Separation Overview card shows employee ID IRN-EMP-0024, exit type Resignation, initiated by Employee, resignation date 15 July 2026 and the reason Relocating to Manchester, notice worked in full. A Notice Period card shows 30 days with calculated, actual and preferred last working days all reading 14 August 2026. Three cards below read Clearance 5 of 5 depts with a full green bar, Exit Interview Completed, and Documents 3 uploaded.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/worklink/offboarding/separation-detail.png)

## The five tabs on a separation

| Tab | Holds | Closes when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Details | Exit type, dates, reason and who started it. | It is complete from the outset. |
| Clearance | A sign-off per department: equipment, systems, finance and the rest. | Every department has confirmed. |
| Exit Interview | The interview, arranged and then recorded. | It has been held and written up. |
| Documents | Anything filed against the leaving: letters, agreements, handover notes. | There is nothing left to file. |
| Process Timeline | What has happened and when, in order. | Never; it is the audit trail. |

## Clearance is a checklist across departments

The progress bar on the pipeline is this: how many departments have signed off out of how many are required. It is the stage that most often runs past a last working day, because it depends on several people rather than one decision.

> **Note:**
>
> **A negative Days Left with incomplete clearance is the thing to chase**
>
> Somebody whose last working day has passed while clearance sits at three of five has left with something outstanding: a laptop, a key, an account still open. That combination on the pipeline is the row to open first.

> **Tip:**
>
> **Open the separation before the notice is worked, not after**
>
> Clearance takes time from several departments. Starting it on the last working day guarantees it finishes late, and the record stays open long after the person has gone.

## When it closes

Completing the separation sets the employee's status and takes them off the active roster. Nothing is deleted: their attendance history, leave record, training and certificates all stay exactly where they were, which is what the separation exists to preserve.