Having an employee quit is never easy. It’s especially challenging in a small office.

For me, personally, having someone quit always feels like rejection. It’s like getting dumped by a girlfriend in high school (not that I had many of those, but I’m told it’s like that).

It’s easier if people leave for a good reason, like they’ve got to move to a new city with their spouse, they’ve decided to stay home with a baby, or they have a terminal illness (just kidding on that last one).

It’s harder if they’ve decided that they’d rather work for one of your competitors.

It’s tough regardless of the reason. It’s also challenging because it requires you to jump into action to find a replacement or shuffle duties around so that the work will get done.

The big question I get is, “Do I let them stay for the few weeks of notice or do I just let them go now?”

Well, first off, let me congratulate you if you got any kind of notice at all. Giving notice is an old tradition that is quickly leaving our employment culture. Many, many employees leave with minimal, if any, notice. I’ve talked to dozens of employers who have had administrative staff members walk out and simply never come back. Even getting their keys back proves challenging.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a culture that encourages reasonable behavior and you get some notice, then you’ve got to figure out what to do with the notice.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a tried and true solution to the problem.

Sometimes, you’re really ready for the person to go. If the person hadn’t quit, you’d have fired him or her. In that case, I’d say bye-bye and let the person go right now. Do you pay the person for the two weeks of notice he or she would have given you? I suppose it buys some goodwill (not much), and maybe it’s required by some state employment laws (I’m no expert on that). Generally, when I’ve got someone staying one step ahead of getting fired, I’m not inclined to pay anything extra. I’d simply send the person on his or her way.

Other times, the person is someone you wish could keep. Your first thought will be to offer the person something to stay. That’s a bad idea. This person is probably going to leave anyway. If your offer works, it will likely only work for the short term. The person will stay a while and then head out when the next offer comes. If the person wants to go, let him or her go.

Should you let these people work through the notice period? Generally, yes. These are good people doing a good job. It’s likely that their work product will suffer a bit during the notice period (they’re distracted and have emotionally moved on), but you probably need the help. You’re not likely to have someone new ready to take over their role until after they’re gone. If you need them, keep them on. If significant problems arise during the notice period, you can always change your mind and have them leave. I’d encourage you to spend extra time with the other employees during this period. It’s perfectly normal for departing employees to justify their decision by explaining how they are making the right decision. You need to cement your relations with your other employees.

In an ideal world, you have such excellent systems in place that the loss of an employee is a non-event. If you’re in that position (and few of us are), then you can let some leave the day they give notice. You’ll know that their work can be handled by others and that the search for a replacement will go well. If that’s not your situation, then you’ve got a tough choice to make. The good news is that you likely don’t have someone giving notice today. You should build systems that give you the flexibility to have someone leave without disruption. Someone is going to leave; it’s inevitable.