Purpose

To establish a consistent and secure process for employee offboarding that protects company assets, maintains legal compliance, and promotes professionalism during an employee’s departure.

Scope

Applies to all full-time, part-time, and contract employees leaving the organization, regardless of reason (resignation, termination, redundancy, or end of contract).

Roles & Responsibilities

• HR Team

• Coordinates offboarding checklist, schedules exit interviews, manages final payroll, and updates employment records.

• IT Team

• Handles system access revocation, email forwarding, and device decommissioning.

• Manager

• Conducts knowledge transfer, retrieves work in progress, and leads final team communications.

• Employee

• Completes handover, returns assets, and participates in the exit process.

Process Steps

1. Notice of Departure

Once a resignation letter is submitted or termination is confirmed, HR logs the departure in the HRIS. The employee's last working day is recorded, and the following teams are notified:

• IT (for system access planning)

• Finance (for final pay)

• Facilities (if equipment return or office access is required)

A formal acknowledgment is sent to the employee with a departure timeline and next steps.

2. Offboarding Checklist Activation

HR activates the standardized offboarding checklist, which includes tasks for:

• Final pay and benefits

• Equipment recovery

• Legal documents (e.g. NDA reaffirmation)

• Knowledge transfer

• Exit interview scheduling

The checklist is assigned to HR, IT, and the employee’s manager. Due dates are tracked to ensure completion before the last day.

3. Knowledge Transfer & Work Handover

The employee collaborates with their manager to:

• Document current projects, deliverables, and timelines

• Transfer key files and access credentials (if applicable)

• Introduce or brief a replacement or point of contact

A short handover document is created and saved to the team’s shared drive. This reduces disruption and preserves institutional knowledge.

4. Asset Return & Access Termination

IT tasks:

• Revoke access to email, internal systems, VPN, and cloud services

• Forward or delegate email and calendar (as needed)

• Backup data from personal device(s) before wiping

Employee tasks:

• Return all physical items: laptop, monitor, phone, badges, keys, etc.

• Confirm via checklist that all items were returned in working order

Assets are logged in the asset management system as “Returned” or flagged if missing/damaged.

5. Final Payroll and Benefits Processing

Finance calculates:

• Final salary (including unused vacation or overtime, if applicable)

• Severance (if applicable)

• Deductions (loan repayments, missing equipment, etc.)

HR ensures:

• COBRA or benefits continuation paperwork is sent (where required)

• Final payslip is issued

• Payroll record is closed in the system

6. Exit Interview

HR schedules a confidential exit interview during the final week to gather feedback. Topics include:

• Reasons for leaving

• Experience with manager/team

• Suggestions for improvement

• Willingness to remain in alumni or freelance networks

Feedback is recorded anonymously and shared with leadership (if appropriate).

7. System Cleanup & Archival

Post-departure, IT:

• Archives the user’s email and cloud files

• Reassigns ownership of shared documents

• Deletes or deactivates inactive accounts after backup

HR:

• Archives the employee’s file (digital and/or physical)

• Updates headcount records and internal org chart

8. Team Communication & Offboarding Completion

The manager notifies the team of the departure, including any transition plans. For voluntary departures, an optional farewell is coordinated.

Once all checklist tasks are marked complete, HR closes the offboarding task in the HRIS and logs completion in compliance records.

Documentation & Tools

• HRIS / Offboarding checklist platform

• Exit interview template

• Final payroll calculation sheet

• IT deactivation script or checklist

• Asset return form

• Handover document template

Compliance & Risk Considerations

• All access must be revoked on or before the employee’s final day

• Return of company property must be documented and confirmed

• Final pay must comply with jurisdictional labor laws

• Exit interview feedback is protected under HR confidentiality policies

• Data retention and deletion schedules must be followed for terminated accounts