How to Write a Useful Work Handover

What belongs in a good work handover?

A useful handover tells the next person what is happening, what needs attention, who owns each action, and where to find the approved records. It should make ongoing work understandable without requiring the recipient to reconstruct every conversation. Use the team's established template when one exists.

Start with current status

Organise the handover by task, case, project, or operational area. For each item, state the current position in plain language. “Supplier confirmation pending” is more informative than “ongoing,” especially when you include the last contact and the next expected response.

Separate completed work from open work. A long history can obscure the one action needed today. Include background only when the next person needs it to make a decision or understand an unusual situation.

Make actions unambiguous

Each open action should have a named owner or a clearly identified team, an expected next step, and a relevant date or trigger. If ownership is not agreed, label it as unconfirmed instead of quietly assigning responsibility to someone else.

A fictional example might read: “Customer delivery enquiry: address confirmed; dispatch time still pending. Next step: operations desk to confirm availability before replying to the customer. Reference: approved order record.” Avoid making a promise on behalf of another team unless it has been confirmed.

Explain exceptions and escalation

Highlight anything that differs from the normal process: a missing document, an unresolved discrepancy, a customer commitment, or a decision awaiting approval. State who has already been informed and what the recipient should do if the issue remains unresolved.

Keep judgement separate from fact. “The client has not responded to the last two messages” describes the record. “The client is not interested” is an interpretation that could mislead the next person. Where you are uncertain, say what must be checked.

Link to records safely

Use the approved shared location for documents and make sure the recipient has appropriate access. Do not copy passwords into a handover or move workplace records to a personal account for convenience. If access is missing, ask the responsible person to arrange it through the usual process.

Finish with a short walkthrough when the work is complex. Invite the recipient to explain what they understand the immediate priorities to be. Update the handover if the conversation exposes a gap. If you later describe this skill in an interview, explain how your documentation helped continuity, using a non-confidential example and an outcome you can support.

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