Regardless of the circumstances of an employee’s departure from your company, it is crucial that your offboarding process is handled professionally and sensitively. A considerable amount of administrative work must be completed in a relatively short time frame before an employee’s last day – from tax and payroll paperwork, to retrieving company equipment and revoking access to systems and resources. Follow the checklist below to ensure no task is forgotten during this period of transition. 

Download the Employee Offboarding Checklist as a Google Sheet, or keep reading for more!

The Ultimate Employee Offboarding Checklist

Internal Communications

• Thank the employee for their contributions to your business, regardless of the circumstances of their departure
• Inform all relevant internal stakeholders that offboarding is being initiated
• Notify HR to prepare relevant paperwork, final paychecks, and termination of benefits
• Outline the offboarding process to the employee
• Inform the employee’s team members and the wider company of their departure and finish date
• Create a transition plan
• Schedule an exit interview
• Initiate the process of recruiting for the employee’s position, if applicable

Handover Process

• Create an offboarding messaging channel to keep all stakeholders informed of the handover process
• Ask the employee to document any required knowledge transfer
• Determine which team members will take over the departing employee’s responsibilities, if applicable
• Inform team members of any temporary redistribution of responsibilities, re-routing of emails, etc.
• Notify internal and external stakeholders of their updated point of contact
• Schedule handover meetings with internal stakeholders, as required
• Schedule handover meetings with external clients, as required

Device and System Access

• Create a list of all company devices, equipment, access cards, etc. to retrieve, if one does not already exist
• Inform the employee of when and where this equipment must be returned
• Create a list of all apps and files the employee has access to, if one does not already exist
• Inform the employee of when their access to company resources will be revoked
• Identify any files or systems that the employee has sole ownership of, and arrange for transfer of ownership
• Reset two-factor authentication (2FA) to remove the departing employee’s contact details
• If operating BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), arrange for company files and access to be removed from the employee’s personal devices
• Revoke and reset all system, app, and software access on the appropriate date
• Deactivate the employee’s profiles on company apps, such as Slack
• Re-route employee emails and any other critical communications on the appropriate date

Remote Employees

• Ensure all handover meetings and exit interviews are scheduled virtually
• Arrange for all company equipment to be returned by courier, if applicable
• Remotely wipe or secure company devices before they are transferred to a courier
• Terminate VPN access

Exit Interview

• Perform exit interview and document all feedback
• Provide employer reference and other exit documentation, as required
• Update employee’s contact details so they can be reached in future if needed

Get Help with your Employee Offboarding Checklist

The administrative work involved in offboarding employees can place considerable strain on your internal resources. But, having a structured process in place is vital to remain compliant and ensure the security of business resources. Take the manual work out of employee offboarding with Electric’s Employee Offboarding Solution. Simply submit your request and we’ll handle all of the necessary device and system access tasks for you. Get in touch to learn more!