Notification

Whether you’re retiring, relocating, pursuing opportunities outside Harvard, or transferring to another Harvard school, the departure process begins when you notify your manager and HR Consultant of your departure.

Employees who voluntarily resign are expected to give a minimum of two weeks' notice to their manager, and, depending on the circumstances, a longer notice period may be appropriate. While you may want to tell your manager in person, please also provide notice in writing, which should include your intended departure date. This will allow you and your manager to submit all necessary paperwork and to develop a transition plan.

Benefits

If you’re leaving Harvard, you should contact the Benefits Office with any questions about your benefits and/or to obtain COBRA information. In order to receive timely information after your departure, please ensure your address is accurate in PeopleSoft.

Vacation days that are accrued and unused will be paid to you when you leave Harvard. You may be able to defer some or all of your unused vacation days into your Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) Plan account. If you elect to defer, you will not pay Federal or State taxes on that amount until you withdraw it from your TDA Plan account at a later date. The Salary Reduction Agreement/TDA Plan form must be completed and returned to your HR Coordinator prior to your separation date. Accrued and unused sick time will not be paid out upon your departure.

You can also learn more about your benefits when you leave Harvard or when you retire. This includes information related to medical, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance; flexible spending accounts; and more.

Harvard Accounts and Technology

If you are leaving the University, access to your email, calendar, and library online resources will be disabled upon your designated departure date. This includes:

• 365 email/calendar, including SharePoint and OneDrive
• Harvard Gmail, Google Drive, and Google apps
• Shared network drives
• VPN access
• Access to financial and administrative applications, including library resources and intranets

Your HarvardKey credentials will continue to work, but most applications and resources are restricted to active affiliates only.

Access to PeopleSoft for former employees (with the exception of retirees) ends 90 days after the final day of employment. Former employees who did not receive a W-2 may find more information here. For more information regarding W-2s and other financial situations, please review the Central Payroll contact page.

Learn more about access to Harvard accounts after departure.

Transition of Knowledge and Materials

Departing employees should set aside time to review work-related information and materials, and copy or transfer ownership of these materials to your manager, unit administrator, or other coworkers as appropriate. This includes copying or transferring ownership of:

• relevant documents
• work-related data
• digital materials on OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
• login information for unit/team accounts, such as for MailChimp or Amazon

Employees should transfer essential department files to their manager, administrator, or a colleague.

Also make sure to return all Harvard property, including your Harvard ID card, keys, laptop computer, and PCard or corporate card, to your manager or unit administrator prior to leaving. This includes any property that you might have taken to work remotely (such as a chair, laptop stand, etc.).

Exit Interview

As part of the exit process, we ask that departing employees share their thoughts and experiences with us. This information allows us to better understand the employee experience across Harvard Library. Departing employees will be invited to participate in a confidential conversation with HR.