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Employee offboarding checklist: what to do when someone leaves

· The IWANTAHELPDESK Team

OffboardingHR
A departing employee hands a laptop and a badge to an IT colleague across a desk

When someone leaves, the last week is busy and things get missed. A laptop goes home in a bag. A software seat stays assigned for a year. A shared password stays the same. A checklist stops this from happening.

Why offboarding matters

Offboarding protects the business and treats the person fairly. Done well, it gets equipment back, closes access, hands over work and leaves a good last impression.

Start with the last day

Everything else is planned around the last day. Confirm it in writing, and then work backwards so the right people know what has to happen and when.

HR tasks

  • Confirm the last day and collect the resignation letter
  • Hold the exit conversation
  • Process final pay and leave balance
  • Cancel benefits and update payroll

The manager's tasks

  • Hand over open work and tickets
  • Tell the team and key clients
  • Collect keys, cards and company items

IT tasks

  • Turn off email and sign-ins on the last day
  • Remove the person from shared accounts and passwords
  • Forward email to the manager
  • Wipe the laptop before it is reused

These are the steps the HR app uses in its offboarding checklist, split into HR, manager and IT so each person sees their own list.

Do not forget equipment and software

The costliest misses are the quiet ones. Equipment that is not returned is a loss. Software seats that stay assigned keep costing money. In the HR app, an offboarding page lists the equipment and software seats the person still holds, with one click to mark equipment returned and one click to free their seats.

Keep the record

After the person has gone, the history stays on their employee record. That makes it easy to answer questions later, such as when they left and what was returned.

Make it a habit

  1. Start offboarding as soon as notice is given.
  2. Set the last day.
  3. Work through the checklist for HR, the manager and IT.
  4. Return equipment and free software seats.
  5. Close the checklist on the last day.

Read more on the offboarding checklist software page, or start a free trial and try it with the next leaver.