What Offboarding Is and Why It Matters

Every employee who joins an organisation will one day leave it. Some leave after a few months, some after thirty years. Some choose to go, and some do not. Offboarding is the planned process an organisation follows when an employment ends. It starts when the organisation learns that someone will leave, and it continues for some time after their last day.

Offboarding is the mirror image of onboarding. Onboarding gives a new person access, equipment, knowledge and relationships. Offboarding takes back the access and equipment, keeps the knowledge inside the organisation, and closes the relationship in a fair and respectful way. The joining side of this cycle is taught in the Onboarding and Induction course.

Why a planned exit matters

• Security. A former employee who can still open email, files or the building is a serious risk, even if they mean no harm.
• Knowledge. Work in progress, customer history and "how things really work" can walk out of the door.
• Money and property. Laptops, phones, tools and company cards must come back, and final pay must be right.
• Compliance. Laws on notice, final pay and personal data apply to leavers. They differ from country to country.
• Reputation. Former employees talk to friends, future employers and customers. A respectful exit makes them supporters, not critics.
• Learning. People who leave can tell you things current staff will not. An exit interview collects this.