Audience
Department-wide
Purpose
This procedure outlines how an employee notifies the Department of Education (the department) that they are ceasing their employment for reasons including resignation, retirement, ending a fixed term temporary contract and ending a long-term casual engagement. It also outlines separation requirements where an employee is transferred or seconded from their substantive role.
Overview
When an employee intends to cease their employment they must notify their manager, principal or supervisor. Prior to separation, and upon transfer and secondment, the employee and their manager, principal or supervisor must ensure the return of departmental property, removal of computer access and finalisation of any outstanding finance and administrative matters.
This procedure applies to all employee types including permanent, fixed term temporary and long-term casual employees.
Responsibilities
Employees
- Prior to submitting a notice to separate employment, employees are encouraged to inform themselves of their entitlements upon resignation or retirement (e.g. long service leave) and seek independent financial advice as appropriate.
- Provide notification of their separation by submitting a notice to separate form (DoE employees only) in accordance with the required notice period within the relevant award (DoE employees only). Where departmental systems are not available, an email will be accepted. However, a notice to separate is not required for secondments or internal transfers.
- Maintain confidentiality of information gained in the course of their employment in accordance with the Code of Conduct, Principle 4.4, Ensure appropriate use and disclosure of official information.
- Complete and sign an employee separation checklist.
- For resignations and retirements, an employee may submit a request to withdraw their notice to separate in circumstances where the employee seeks to continue employment in their position with the department.
Managers, principals, supervisors
- Provide employees with information about the employee assistance program (DoE employees only) if they require further support.
- Explain to employees their responsibilities prior to and upon separating from employment.
- Complete the relevant employee separation checklist (for all employees).
- Provide the employee an opportunity to discuss their decision to separate should they wish to do so.
- Retain a copy of the signed employee separation checklist on the employee's personnel file.
- Provide a copy of the signed employee notice to separate employment form to the appropriate Payroll Services Team.
- Respond to a request from an employee to withdraw a notice to separate employment.
HR delegate
- Decide whether to approve a shorter period of notice when a public service officer seeks to resign with less than the required period of notice (as per the HR delegations manual) (DoE employees only).
- Decide whether to approve the deduction of wages in lieu of notice of resignation when the required notice period has not been provided by an employee and a shorter period of notice has not been approved by the HR delegate (as per the HR delegations manual) (DoE employees only).
Payroll Services
- Process the employment separation and all outstanding payments.
Process
1. Submit notice to separate employment
When an employee decides to end their employment with the department, they must submit a notice to separate employment (DoE employees only) form to their manager, principal or supervisor as soon as practicable, but no later than the minimum required notice period under their award. A notice to separate employment is not required for secondments and internal transfers.
Managers, principals and supervisors must provide a 24-hour cooling off period upon receipt of a notice to separate employment prior to submitting to Payroll Services.
The employee's manager, principal or supervisor must provide the employee an opportunity to discuss their decision to separate should the employee wish to do so.
2. Review notice to separate employment where minimum period of notice is not provided
If the minimum notice period has not been provided, the shorter period of notice to separate employment must be considered and approved (where appropriate) by the HR Delegate (as per the HR delegations manual).
If a shorter period of notice is approved by the HR Delegate, the HR Delegate must:
- provide Payroll Services with the notice to separate employment form with advice confirming approval of a shorter period of notice. Please note that Early Childhood Education and Care employees' notices are to be forwarded to Central Office Payroll Services
- contact Payroll Services to ensure the employee's termination entitlements are accurately processed.
If a shorter period of notice is not approved by the HR Delegate, the HR Delegate must:
- discuss the decision with the employee and advise of the impacts on entitlements on separation (if any); and
- provide Payroll Services with the notice to separate employment form with advice confirming the decision to not approve a shorter period of notice.
- contact Payroll Services to ensure the employee's termination entitlements are accurately processed.
3. Prior to employee separation
Prior to separation on the last day of work, an employee must complete, sign and submit an employee separation checklist to their manager, principal or supervisor for review, action and certification.
The manager, principal or supervisor must review the completed employee separation checklist, complete all required actions and certify the checklist.
A variety of mandatory actions are to be taken, which include:
- ensuring the return of all Queensland Government property
- removal of computer access on last day of employment
- delinking of blue card and cancelling access to Blue Card Services online portal
- compliance with relevant financial processes.
The manager, principal or supervisor must ensure the following tasks are undertaken with effect from close of business on the employee’s last date of employment:
- remove the employee’s phone book details from the department’s intranet
- cancel, or transfer to another employee, any subscriptions to software or publications paid for by the department.
For a complete list of all actions required upon separation of employment, refer to the relevant employee separation checklist.
The manager, principal or supervisor must retain the employee separation checklist on the employee's personnel file.
4. Finalise employee separation
On separation, Payroll Services must process the employee separation and all outstanding payments.
5. Application to withdraw a notice to separate employment
A notice to separate employment will not be deemed to have taken effect until the completion of a 24-hour cooling off period.
Following the 24-hour cooling off period, an employee may apply to withdraw their notice to separate employment in circumstances where the employee seeks to continue employment in their position with the department.
Applications must be submitted as soon as practicable but not less than 28 calendar days prior to the employee's separation date.
To apply, an employee who has given notice of their intention to separate from the department must:
- notify their manager, principal or supervisor as soon as practicable (but not less than 28 calendar days prior to the employee's separation date) in writing; advising the following:
- the employee's name and work unit
- the reason they are requesting to withdraw their notice to separate employment
- all relevant and sufficient information to enable consideration of the request.
A request to withdraw a notice to separate employment must be decided within 14 days of request of the request and prior to the employee's separation of employment.
When deciding whether to approve an employee's application to withdraw their notice to separate employment, a principal, manager or supervisor must:
- provide a written decision to the employee within 14 days of receipt of the request and prior to the employee's cessation date; including reasons for the decision
- consider whether their decision is compatible with human rights, and their consideration, including the reasons for any limitation of a human right, must be included in the written decision to the employee
- provide Payroll Services with a copy of the written decision
- retain the decision on the employee's personnel file.
For clarity, where a request is not decided prior to the employee's separation date, the separation will take effect.
Upon receiving a copy of a decision regarding a request to withdraw a notice to separate employment, Payroll Services must:
- make any necessary payroll amendments (where required)
Definitions
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Term
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Definition
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HR delegate
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Refer to the departmental HR delegations manual (DoE employees only).
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Notice period
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For the purpose of this procedure, a notice period is the time period between the day that an employee gives signed notice to the employer of the final day of employment, and the final day of employment itself. Minimum notice periods appear in the
Public Sector Act 2022 (Qld), the
Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld) as well as in some awards (DoE employees only).
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Legislation
Delegations/Authorisations
Other resources
Superseded versions
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
1.0 Employee Separation and Withdrawal of Notices to Cease Employment
2.0 Employee separation