Offboarding is one of the most important but often overlooked aspects of the employee experience. The process of ending an employee's association with a company is a critical process because it sets the tone for how the company and the employee will part ways. Done correctly, offboarding can help the employee transition and help the company create a better experience for remaining employees.
Offboarding should be handled delicately and with respect. It’s a time when the organization should be clear about its expectations and the employee's obligations. The team should also be clear about the resources that are available to the employee during this transition.
The offboarding process should be a positive experience that helps the employee feel valued and respected. The organization should also take steps to ensure that the employee's departure does not negatively impact existing work or the experience of other employees.
To make this process easier, we’ve assembled an offboarding checklist to help you create a positive offboarding experience.
This template is intended to help teams create an effective and informative offboarding experience. It is important to remember that state and federal laws may place additional requirements on this process. This policy should be reviewed by legal counsel prior to implementation.
Ensure resignation or dismissal is documented. In the case of a resignation, be sure the employee notifies their manager in a timely and professional manner and also shares written notice.
Start a knowledge sharing process. Work with the employee and the employee’s manager to create an internal document to share institutional knowledge to the rest of the team.
Submit any outstanding requests for expense reimbursement. Have the employee enter any final expenses into the company expense management system and submit them for approval.
Transfer ownership of important documents. Especially if the employee is in a supervisory role, ensure that important documents like evaluations, budgetary records, and strategic plans are labeled, organized, and transferred.
Return all personal items, and recover company property. Work with the employee to return any personal items to the employee and recover all company property, including but not limited to keys, credit cards, and electronic equipment.
Organization Responsibilities
Share a written notice regarding an employee’s termination. Whether it’s an acceptance of a resignation or a letter of dismissal, your organization should provide written documentation of an employee’s termination.
Share the offboarding checklist to the employee. Provide your employee with a checklist of what needs to be completed before their departure. This will help them understand what is expected of them and help the process run more smoothly.
Schedule a meeting with the employee and their manager. To create a smooth transition process, schedule a meeting with the employee and their supervisor to discuss the details of their departure. This meeting is an opportunity to discuss a transition plan and to ensure that all loose ends are tied up.
Schedule a meeting with Human Resources/People Ops. The employee should also meet with a representative to go over their benefits, solidify any timeline, and to answer any questions they may have.
Schedule exit interview. Exit interviews are typically conducted by Human Resources/People Ops. This is the employee’s opportunity to provide feedback about their experience at the organization and for the organization to learn more about the employee’s experience.
Inform relevant parties of the employee’s departure. Departments such as IT and Finance should be made aware of an employee’s departure in order to make any necessary changes, as well as leadership members from any relevant team that work closely with the employee.
Remove employee access to company systems/accounts. The departing employee should be removed from all company systems, calendars, and accounts, and make sure any important messages (e.g. emails) are forwarded to the right parties once the employee has left.
Send relevant paperwork for departure. The departing employee should be given any relevant paperwork to sign and any departure documents related to benefits and taxes.
Update employee contact information. Once an employee has left the company, their contact information should be updated in the company’s system.
Plan any “going away” activities. As long as the situation warrants it and the employee is comfortable, consider planning an activity to celebrate the departing employee.
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