How do you get HR & IT offboarding back on track?

The most underrated and crucial process

Offboarding, or the process of letting an employee go, is often underestimated, but it's actually crucial for companies. Whether following a resignation, retirement, redundancy or transfer, a poorly managed departure can have negative consequences for both the employee and the company. Well-orchestrated offboarding can minimize negative impacts and ensure a smooth transition.

According to one study, a quarter of employees retain access to their former employer's data, and 87% of them admit to taking away data they have created. A further 28% take data created by others with them. These figures underline the importance of a structured offboarding process to prevent security risks, protect sensitive company information and enhance the employer brand!

That's why we've created a Notion document with the entire offboarding process activatable. You can download the template by filling in the form on the right 👌

Who are the stakeholders in offboarding?

Offboarding involves several key players within the company:

1. Human Resources (HR ): manages the administrative process, prepares the necessary documents and ensures that all legal obligations are met.
2. The IT department: It must revoke the employee's access to computer systems, recover company equipment and secure data.
3. Direct managers: They facilitate the transfer of knowledge and ongoing tasks.
4. Colleagues: They can play a role in the continuity of projects and the integration of replacements.
5. The outgoing employee: He or she must work with HR and the IT department to ensure a smooth transition.

How can you, as HR, improve your offboarding process?

For a successful offboarding process as a human resources manager, here are a few best practices to adopt:

1. Preparation and Communication
   • Inform the employee: Clearly explain the steps involved in the offboarding process. Whether through an informal discussion or a formal letter, make sure the employee understands what's going to happen.
   • Prepare the necessary documents: Gather all relevant documents, such as pension information, non-competition agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and tax documents.
2. Knowledge transfer
   • Coordination with the manager: Make sure that the outgoing employee's direct manager organizes a comprehensive knowledge transfer. This includes passing on important contacts, useful resources, progress reports on current tasks, and lists of pending tasks.
   • Documentation: Encourage outgoing employees to document their processes and projects, to make it easier for their successors to take over.
3. Recovery of company assets
   • Asset inventory: Make a list of the assets provided to the employee (computers, telephones, access cards, etc.) and ensure that everything is returned in good condition.
   • IT audit: Ensure that the IT department revokes all employee access to company IT systems, including remote access.
4. Exit interview
   • Constructive feedback: Conduct an exit interview to obtain feedback on the employee's experience with the company. This can provide valuable insights for improving talent management practices and corporate culture.
   • Respect and professionalism: Make sure the interview is conducted in a respectful and professional manner to leave the employee with a positive final impression.
5. Administrative finalization
   • Compensation: Ensure that all compensation issues are settled, including final salary, severance pay, and payments for unused vacation days.
   • File closure: Complete all administrative files and update HR databases to reflect the employee's departure.

The IT offboarding process

The IT aspect of offboarding is often overlooked, yet it is essential to ensure the security of company data.

Why secure IT offboarding is crucial

A poorly managed IT offboarding process increases the risk of internal threats and external cyberattacks. For example, maintaining the former employee's access can enable cybercriminals to exploit these loopholes to penetrate the company's system.

The risks of insecure IT offboarding

Unsecured IT offboarding can leave accounts unmonitored, passwords active and accesses unrevoked, creating entry points for cybercriminals.

Features of secure IT offboarding

A secure IT offboarding process is :

• Efficient and organized: follows a documented, consistent procedure.
• Aligned with the current state of systems: It takes into account recent developments in IT infrastructure.
• Rigorous access management: systematically revokes all outgoing employee access and permissions.

Measures for safe IT offboarding

1. Decommission accounts: Close or deactivate all user accounts for the outgoing employee.
2. Reset pass words: Change passwords for administrative accounts to which the employee had access.
3. Equipment recovery and reassignment: Ensure that all company-supplied equipment is recovered and wipe.
4. Update access: revoke remote access and update corporate directories and databases.
5. Security audit: Perform an audit to check that no unauthorized access remains.

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Offboarding, whether in HR or IT, is a critical stage in the life cycle of an employee within a company. By implementing a structured process and involving all stakeholders, companies can minimize risks and ensure a smooth transition. Well-managed offboarding not only contributes to the company's security, but also to maintaining a good image with current and former employees.

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Download Document Notion by filling in the form on the right!

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