EBizInsider

When employees leave, it’s always difficult. Whether voluntary or involuntary, the separation of legally-tied entities is like a divorce – lots of paperwork, follow-up and liability involved. This month’s Tech Corner provides a checklist for the IT-related issues involved in separation.

If you’re planning on terminating an employee or if they’ve given notice:

• Determine, based on the situation, if immediate separation is preferable to a notice-period.
• Immediately clone his/her login account and back up their current data – make sure no data is being deleted.
• Monitor their calls and e-mail –to prevent sending of confidential information off-site or conducting unapproved business on company time. If this happens, terminate immediately.

At the exit interview/termination meeting:

• Inform employee that non-public access to company information (anything the company has not formally published) has been revoked and if they discover they have company information it should be immediately reported to HR.
• Remind employee with a copy of their signed Intellectual Property and Confidentiality Agreements.
• Collect all company-owned possessions including:
  • Cell Phone
  • Corporate Credit Cards
  • Laptop or other computer equipment (PDA, etc.)
  • A list of passwords
  • Non-IT collateral (parking pass, books, keys)

Immediately after the termination meeting:

• Deactivate employee ID card.
• Cancel employee credit cards, expense accounts and checking account access.
• Have employee’s past voice-mail and e-mail archived. Determine dates for call and e-mail forwarding to a manager and eventually account deletion.
• Create voice-mail and e-mail auto-responders informing people that the person is no longer with the company and if they require information, direct them to another contact.
• Disable remote and VPN access.
• If your company has Wi-Fi, change the access keys
• Change any passwords the employee formerly accessed. In the case of executives, IT Staff, and senior management, change passwords company-wide.
• Cancel cell phone, pager, and other subscription services.
• Backup entire computer using archive software and password protect.
• Remove employee from phone directory and internal e-mail lists.

Two-weeks following termination (some of these apply only if termination was involuntary):

• Review access logs. Has employee attempted to access your network?
• Check IM and E-mail logs. Has employee attempted to contact other employees? Have they discussed confidential information or solicited employees?

Losing an employee is never easy. When it happens, try to put sentiment aside. Take the steps necessary to protect your company.

Manager, Marketing Operations & Solid Cactus Cares

All posts by John Dawe | E-Mail the author

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