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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Outgoing employee on interview panel?

37 replies

Troyes76 · 17/08/2022 15:05

Posting here for traffic!

I volunteer for a local charity, and our administrator is leaving, so we are about to interview for a new administrator (paid role)
The administrator who is leaving is adamant that she should be on the interview panel for the new administrator (ie the person who will take over her role)

To me, this sounds wrong - surely if you're leaving then you shouldn't be involved? I've looked on the ACAS and TUC websites but can't find anything - does anyone know the answer to this? Thanks!

OP posts:

KatherineofGaunt · 17/08/2022 16:19

A colleague was leaving and was part of the interview process for the replacement. What I found odd, though, was that I'm the one who has to work with the replacement (two-person team and we work closely together) yet I didn't even get to meet them until their first day.

There's no reason why this woman should have any say in who replaces her. Unless the person she replaced say in on her interview or there's some kind of precedence.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 17/08/2022 16:21

No. If the company wants something / someone different with the next person she might make that an uncomfortable session. Her opinion is of no consequence, it is the incoming person who gets to set out their stall, not learn hers.

She can agree to a handover session if she feels that strongly.

TooHotToTangoToo · 17/08/2022 16:26

Leaving it retiring.

Retiring, could be a good idea, give it a bash

If they are leaving, what are their reasons? This could impact my decision

Oh and no employee gets to 'demand' to be involved, it's none of their business who you get in to do her role

MintJulia · 17/08/2022 16:38

I guess she knows better than anyone else, what the job entails. And she knows what her 'customers' will look for.

Kite22 · 17/08/2022 16:50

Triffid1 · 17/08/2022 15:16

My instinct is to say that having the departing person on the panel can be quite helpful in terms of properly assessing skills and also to answer questions. However, that person would not have any meaningful role in actual decision making - ie they would advise the hiring panel but not actually have a vote as such.

But her insistence is a bit odd. Why is she leaving? Are you confident that she's not trying to sabotage and/or get a friend/colleague into the job by insisting that she is part of the process?

I agree with Triffid

To some extent I think many of us will be projecting and only the OP will know the whole situation, but if there is one person who has specialist knowledge of a role in an organisation then it seems sensible to have that person on the interview panel. But it will depend, to some extent on why they are leaving / if there is any bad blood / how restrained or disciplined they would be about just sticking to the part their expertise is required for / how they would respond if a candidate said "X system has had it's time now, I would want to do X / Y / Z" if the person interviewing hadn't done that / kept up with new innovations / etc.
Someone new coming in usually is a time when things might move to a different way of working, so it depends on how they respond to that.

Poppyblush · 17/08/2022 16:52

I’d say a firm no to this as the new person could be offering all sorts of opportunities and developments in the role which the existing person doesn’t do and so they may view them critically for being better. It’s a conflict of interests. Plus her insistence is a red flag

Exasperatednow · 17/08/2022 17:21

Troyes76 · 17/08/2022 15:58

Thank you everyone, I was unsure whether there was a law against it so thank you for clarifying.
She feels she is in the best position to assess whether someone can do the job (which as many of you have said, is fair enough) However, she is very critical of others and can be negative which makes me think it would be unfair on the candidates.

I wouldn't then. It soundsike a control thing.

DangerouslyBored · 17/08/2022 17:32

when I opened this thread I thought it was going to be about someone on the panel who is overly gregarious / irritating 😬

I’ll slope out the way I came in.

Whitehorsegirl · 17/08/2022 17:44

I was on the interview panel to find my replacement when I decided to leave a management role two years ago.

I don't see any issues. I was the person who knew the job best and I could answer any question the candidates had about it and give my feedback to the rest of the panel as to whether I thought each candidate could do the job or not.

It wasn't something I pro-actively asked for, my line manager suggested it first.

dollybird · 17/08/2022 17:53

I was on the panel for my replacement when I got promoted a few years ago. We were torn between two candidates, and in the end I had final say, but I'd say that was different, as I was staying in the company. Recently a colleague in another team left. She was a complete nightmare to work with. She wasn't involved in interviewing her replacement, but she made a point of putting in her handover notes 'only to be done by a competent person ' or words to that effect 🙄

TheWayoftheLeaf · 17/08/2022 18:27

I've been on the panel to find my replacement before. I knew what the job entailed best.

SarahProblem · 17/08/2022 18:48

As long as you have a good panel chair who keeps her in line it's fine.

Do you value her judgement otherwise?

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