What Is Employee Offboarding?

Last updated: 2025-01-22

Definition of Employee Offboarding

Employee offboarding is the entire structured process of formally managing the exit of an employee from an organization. It includes all the steps and tasks necessary to ensure a smooth transition for both the departing employee and the company.

Employee Offboarding typically involves:

  • Conducting an exit interview to gather feedback.
  • Collecting company property, such as ID cards, laptops, and access credentials.
  • Revoking access to company systems and data to maintain security.
  • Settling financial matters, such as final paychecks, unused vacation days, and benefits.
  • Providing necessary documentation, such as experience or recommendation letters.
  • Completing and handing over work and tasks to successors or other employees.
  • Returning work equipment, property, tools, or other items.
  • Changing passwords, keys, access cards, and access to company systems and email.
  • Resolving leave and severance matters.
  • Issuing formal documents (exit letter, income certificate, etc.).
employee offboarding phases

Work and Knowledge Transfer 

  • Knowledge Transfer: This can be incremental or one-off. Remember, some knowledge cannot be transferred in units of hours or days.
  • Work Transfer: Involves transferring all the employee's work, agendas, processes, and tasks.
  • Completion and Handover: Ensure the assumption of duties, responsibilities, and authority.
  • Successor Training: Provide necessary training for successors.

Removing Access and Permissions

  • Access and Permissions: Remove access and permissions from the employee.
  • Safety Perspective: A managed handover is crucial for safety.
  • Access Removal: Remove all access from the employee, including:
  • Physical premises (keys, access cards, PINs, etc.).
  • Company systems, applications, software, cloud services, VPNs, and shared storage.
  • Change passwords if necessary.

Returning Work Equipment

    • Hand over work equipment
    • The company must keep a record of all equipment used by the employee, such as telephones, computers, tools, instruments, and other items

    Completion of paperwork and legal obligations 

    • Paperwork and Legal Obligations: Complete all necessary paperwork and comply with legal obligations, including:
    • Termination of employment contract and notice of termination.
    • All documents required by local regulations.
    who is involved in employee offboarding

    Why is employee offboarding important?

    Managed employee offboarding is key to maintaining the continuity of your organization's operations, it is important from a security perspective and it is important to maintain your organization's reputation. It's a complete process, not just a completed checklist at the front desk. The role of the senior manager and mutual cooperation is important. Good communication prevents the spread of half-truths and speculation.

    How Aptien HR helps with Employee Offboarding

    Overview of Work Equipment and Tasks:

    • The employee card provides a comprehensive view of all the work equipment, tasks, and responsibilities that the departing employee needs to hand over.

    Task Planning and Coordination:

    • Aptien allows you to easily create a customized list and plan of all the steps and activities required when an employee leaves.
    • This helps in coordinating the tasks and work of all individuals and departments involved in the employee's departure.
    • It is important that the company has a list of all the activities that must be carried out when an employee leaves.
    • In Aptien you can easily create your own plan of activities for the employee's exit.
    List of activities on departure