Offboarding is a crucial part of the employee lifecycle for every organization; however, many don’t have a formal process in place. Whether the employee leaves voluntarily or is terminated, organizations must complete a great deal of work in a short timeframe to offboard that employee.

An efficient offboarding process can save your organization time and money, help ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, create a smooth exit, and make a departing employee a strong advocate for your organization.

Where to Begin?

Navigating an employee’s exit from your organization can be difficult. It’s essential to consider the little things that make the process easier and more effective. A thank you to the exiting employee for their contributions can be a great start. Review their desired timeline and plan accordingly for their offboarding process. Once a timeline is established, notify all necessary parties, including the leadership team, the Human Recourses (HR) team, and Information Technology.

Technology & Access

Disabling devices and system access to employees engaged in the offboarding process is crucial for your organization’s security. Some HR technologies can track employee access, such as physical keys, equipment, software programs, etc. This tracking can help ensure the proper deactivation of access on the employee’s final day. For remote employees, provide adequate instructions on returning company-supplied equipment and a shipping label that allows you to track the equipment return.

Exit Interviews

Exit interviews can provide valuable information that will aid a company in improving employee satisfaction and retention.

• Face-to-Face Interview – Meeting in person provides an opportunity to delve deeper into topics and as follow-up questions, but also may limit responses if the exiting employee is intimidated.
• Written Questionnaire – Many employees may feel more comfortable and expressive by providing written answers. At the same time, written questionnaires have limitations due to their inflexible format.

In addition, to gain valuable knowledge that could result in process improvements, the exit interview provides an opportunity for the company to uncover harassment or other legal concerns and allows the employer to act before the former employee turns to litigation.

Offboarding is an essential process that can improve operational and administrative efficiency, saving time and money. A successful offboarding process requires the same effort as onboarding but can create a well-ordered exit and transform a departing employee into a strong advocate for your organization.

Use this Employee Offboarding Checklist to build an effective offboarding process or see if your company may be missing some key elements.

If you’re interested in discussing these strategies or learning how CBIZ Human Capital Management solutions can help you, connect with one of our consultants today!