Why are exits painful?

Why is an exit so painful? In most of the companies that I know of I have seen employees having a harrowing time while leaving. The day an employee informs about his departure his entire equation with the seniors as well as his peers changes. The first thing he is asked is why? And what can the company do to retain him? Alas if the same question was asked 6 months back, he wouldn’t have taken that decision probably. But once an employee has taken a decision to leave, companies should accept it as a part of natural progression and make his exit a smoother one.

However, in reality the boss will not accept his resignation for a week- ten days asking him to reconsider. Post that he will have to face hurdles in form of his notice period, full and final settlement, PF and Gratuity clearance and so on and so forth. Meanwhile all the bosses chamchas will stop speaking to this guy as if he has committed a great sin. His peers who were his good friends will speak in a hush-hush manner so as to avoid getting negative remarks by boss and his chamchas. Giving a nice farewell depends on what the boss decides. If the boss has accepted the exit in his stride the employee may get a farewell or otherwise forget it. Why can’t we shake hands in a friendly manner and say goodbye and stay in touch!