Client handover sheet

Use our client handover sheet to facilitate arranging cover for annual leave. It provides all the essential information about the client and the work that’s being done for them, so that another employee can easily pick up the file during the holidaying employee’s absence.

A SMOOTH HANDOVER

If an employee has sole or main responsibility for a particular client or customer, when they are going to be absent on annual leave for more than a couple of days, then cover will need to be arranged. It’s important that an employee’s time off causes the minimum disruption to both your business and the day-to-day working arrangements you have with your clients or customers. In these circumstances, what usually happens is that the employee will arrange to hand over their files (these could be virtual ones, rather than hard copy ones) to another designated employee to oversee them during their absence. Then, on their return, the files are handed back with an update on what’s happened while they’ve been away. To standardise this process, use our Client Handover Sheet. The aim is that the employee will complete one of these for each of their clients before they go on annual leave and then, on their return, the covering employee will fill in the second half of the sheet, providing an update, before handing it back. You can also use our sheet for other types of employee absence, such as maternity leave and shared parental leave. You can even adapt it for use as a handover sheet on resignation - in that case, any handover will normally be permanent.

Key information

Our sheet includes all the relevant information that a covering employee would need about the client, including: the business name, contact names and details, a summary of the work being carried out, the current work position, what matters are outstanding and what the timescales for delivery are, reference to any key documents and the financial/invoicing arrangements. There’s a final box for any other information. Then, when the covering employee hands the file back, they will need to provide an update on the current work position, outstanding matters and any updated timescales for delivery.