Leaving Well (Offboarding)

When someone leaves — or moves teams — it matters that it's done cleanly: company data and devices returned, access removed, and knowledge handed over. This protects the company and the customer, and it's also just professional courtesy. Whether it's you leaving or a colleague, help make the handover clean.

Offboarding is a security and continuity event as much as an HR one. Access that isn't revoked becomes a risk; data or devices that aren't returned become a liability; knowledge that isn't handed over becomes a gap. Most of this is handled through the proper process — your job is to cooperate fully with it and not take shortcuts on your way out.

This applies to people who are leaving. It also applies to all of us: flag promptly when someone has left, so their access can be removed (see, on the engineering side, identity and account hygiene).

Return everything and hand over

• DoReturn all company property — laptop, phone, access cards, tokens, and any documents — through the proper process when you leave.
• DoHand over your work and knowledge: document where things are, share context, and brief whoever takes over (see, for engineers, documentation as code).
• DoCooperate fully with the offboarding/access-removal process; flag anything (accounts, access, shared things) that others might not know about.
• NeverTake company or customer data with you — files, documents, contacts, code — to a personal account, device, or a new employer (see Handling Customer Data).

Remove access promptly

• DoIf you manage or work with someone who is leaving or changing roles, make sure their access is removed promptly — flag it so it isn't missed.
• DoEnsure nothing critical depends only on the leaver (knowledge, access, ownership) — close that gap before they go (see, for engineers, code ownership).
• NeverKeep using, or let others keep using, a leaver's login or access after they've gone — access ends when the role does (see Never Share Accounts or Logins).

Ask yourself

• AskIs all company property and data returned and out of any personal place?
• AskHas my knowledge and work been handed over so nothing's stranded?
• AskFor a leaver I work with: has their access been flagged for removal?
• AskDoes anything critical depend only on the person leaving?