Replacing a popular employee must be handled sensitively — staff will almost certainly feel unhappy about losing someone they liked and may even be worried about their own jobs.

It's a situation that many recruiters have faced — so how do you go about picking the right person for the job, and how do you get the rest of your employees to accept the replacement?

It's important to boost staff morale to avoid some of the fall-out, preferably before you bring in anyone new.

Think about getting the team together for a day or night out to get everyone feeling more positive and allow them to get to know each other better — office happiness should never revolve around one person.

Communication is key

Everyone needs to know where they stand when a popular employee leaves. Many may fear their own jobs will be in jeopardy, particularly in the case of an unexpected dismissal.

You should nip any rumours in the bud and be as open as is legally possible with your staff. Keeping people in the loop will help you stamp out speculation and stop gossip spreading, as well as reassuring the rest of your employees that their jobs are safe.

Hire through the ranks

When it comes to filling the position left by a popular employee, it's worth considering whether anyone in your existing team will be able to do the job.

Hiring from within shows the team you have confidence in the work they're doing, and it won't be such a difficult adjustment for everyone to make.

However, you shouldn't promote somebody just for the sake of it or just because they themselves are popular. If there is a general perception that the person doesn't deserve it, it is likely to cause resentment.

Hiring an external candidate

If hiring through the ranks isn't an option, you must be very careful about hiring the right person from the recruitment pool. It's vital they are credible and have the experience and expertise to bridge the gap smoothly and earn the respect of the rest of the team.

You should position the new appointment as of benefit to both the company and the employees, emphasising the qualities that make the person is right for the job.

It's equally important, however, that they are a good personality 'fit' with the rest of the organisation — installing somebody who isn't quite right is only likely to make the situation worse.

Whatever your ultimate decision, you need to keep everyone informed and updated throughout the process.

Replacing a well-liked employee is always going to be difficult, but when it is done well, you can use it as an opportunity to improve relationships between staff and reduce the dependency on just one person.

TOP TIPS

Think about how your staff are feeling, and take steps to boost their morale 

Keep employees up to speed so they know where they stand 

Discourage gossip and speculation by being open throughout the process 

Consider internal candidates before you start looking outside the company 

Make sure external candidates have the experience and personality 'fit' to earn employees' respect 

Emphasise the benefits of the change so employees know how it is going to make their working lives better