What to Do When an Employee Leaves – An IT Checklist for SMEs
When a staff member leaves your business — whether on good terms or not — it’s important to tidy up their IT access.
Why? Because ex-employees often still have login details, files, or even devices. If you don’t close those gaps, it can cause data leaks, confusion, or even security breaches.
Here’s a simple, plain-English IT checklist for when someone leaves your team.
✅ Step 1: Revoke access immediately
Disable their email account (Outlook, Gmail, etc.)
Remove from shared drives, CRMs, and finance tools
Change shared passwords (e.g. social media, Dropbox)
If you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you can block sign-in but still retain the mailbox and files.
📂 Step 2: Secure their data
Back up important files they worked on
Reassign ownership of shared documents
Forward their email to a manager or general inbox
This avoids disruption and ensures nothing important goes missing.
💻 Step 3: Collect or wipe devices
Laptops, monitors, company phones, or USB drives should be returned
If remote, consider courier pickup or provide prepaid return labels
If they used personal devices, ensure business accounts are removed and data wiped
🔐 Step 4: Update access lists
Remove them from mailing lists or group chats (Teams, Slack, WhatsApp)
Update HR and IT records so you have a clear trail
Reset admin passwords if they had higher-level access
🧑🤝🧑 Step 5: Keep it professional
A smooth IT offboarding process shows professionalism, protects your data, and reduces tension — especially if the departure wasn’t voluntary.
Local support for SMEs
Many small businesses don’t have a formal leaver process — which is when mistakes happen.
I work with SMEs across Newry and Mourne to set up simple IT checklists that make onboarding and offboarding much smoother.
🟢 Need a ready-to-go process for when staff join or leave?