Remote work has introduced greater flexibility and access to genius skills, but it has also presented new obstacles for businesses, particularly in offboarding employees.
Offboarding is the procedure of taking care of all details in case an employee quits his or her job. This may be more intricate for remote employees who are not in the physical possession of equipment like laptops, phones, and other devices to send them back.
The other sensitive issue is the company data. In case the employees have been using personal machines to work, any business information must be wiped or backed up. In the absence of specific guidelines, companies may lose valuable data or reveal confidential information.
This article is aimed at the offboarding process of remote employees in a secure and efficient manner. Consider optimal strategies in the retrieval device, data protection, and transition. These measures will assist businesses in safeguarding their assets, maintaining their security, and making offboarding an easier process to all parties involved.
Offboarding Checklist for Remote Employees
Offboarding remote workers has several important processes, and by doing it, it is crucial to be sure that the company will not lose anything, that the sensitive data will be stored, and transition of employees will be carried out professionally. Below is a detailed checklist that can be used to help in the offboarding process:
Revoke Access
Step 1: Disable Digital Accounts
Cancel access of all employee digital accounts, such as company-specific email, collaboration software (e.g., Slack or Microsoft Teams), VPNs, and project management software within one action. This will eliminate the illegal access to systems and information of the company, even when the employee has moved out of the company.
Step 2: Remove Permissions
Ensure that company employees can access clouds, internal servers, and any other software. Erase all permissions or access rights to protect sensitive information. This encompasses digital tools, databases, shared drives, and document management systems.
Retrieve Devices
Step 1: Create a Device Inventory
Enumerate every device of the workers: laptops, mobile phones, tablets, or any other equipment that the company possesses. Accessories such as chargers, external drives, and peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, or headsets, should also be added to this list.
Step 2: Ensure Return of All Devices
Contact the old employee and ensure that all equipment is returned. Make easy instructions on how to send back the devices, packaging, and shipping instructions. All products should be returned on time to prevent offboarding process delays.
Wipe Data
Step 1: Erase Corporate Data
Once the devices are returned, ensure that all information related to the company is deleted permanently from the devices. This is a significant step to avoid any sensitive information of the company being accessed by an employee once he/she has left the organization.
Ensure the destruction of data is achieved using data-wiping applications of the industry security standards. These best practices will also protect company data once employees leave and avoid data breaches.
Step 2: Back up Important Files
Wipe the devices only after saving all the important files. This may consist of project files, reports, or any other data that the company may require in the future. A good backup means that one can not lose valuable information.
Best Practices for Communication
Effective communication is a significant feature of the offboarding process, which is related to the collection of IT devices of remote employees. Effective communication assists in achieving a smooth transition, protecting company resources, and ensuring a decent exit.
Clear Instructions for Departing Employees
Once an employee decides to leave, spell out what is expected in terms of giving back company assets. Speaking more specifically, the equipment that is returned i.e., laptops, mobiles, charging devices, or external hard drives, gives information on how and when they are supposed to be returned.
To avoid mistakes, give a step-by-step account of how this will occur. Discuss the way employee supposed to package the devices, shipped to the location, whether they have to delete any kind of personal data, and how to treat the software or accessories issued by the company. Also, it is worth having a well-defined deadline for returning the things so that they come on time.
Tone and Clarity
One should be professional during communication. The offboarding process might be emotional, yet attention to clarity and transparency ensures that misunderstandings will be eliminated. Be straightforward with expectations, e.g., timelines and expectations ensure that the employee feels respected.
Although the emphasis depends on logistics, it is also necessary to consider the input of the company employee. Recognize their effort and work over their stay in the company, and develop a positive working atmosphere through tone, keep the company on good terms. The proper offboarding process for future collaboration or referral ensures that the employee and the company part on good terms.
Using Automation in Offboarding
An auto-offboarding process makes the whole offboarding process more physiological whilst being secure and controlled. Using technology, businesses are able to automate major operations, minimize manpower, and make offboarding secure and efficient.
Automated Lock:
In employee turnover, it is important to ensure that the company data is not accessed illegally. Automated functions of remote locking enable companies to lock devices immediately, and they would later never be able to obtain corporate data.
Companies can remotely lock devices using many software solutions, including MDM (Mobile Device Management) or cloud-based IT management systems. This measure is necessary to ensure that sensitive data remains secure, thus in cases where the device is not returned immediately.
Wipe Data Automatically:
Automation tools have the power to erase data in case the employee does not hand back his/her gadget before the specified time. Through remote wipe features, businesses will be able to automatically delete all corporate data on the devices, thus reducing the possible risks of data leaks or unwarranted access. Such a feature is priceless for security intact without any physical contact with him or her.
Prepaid Labels:
Returning the company assets may be time-consuming, yet the shipping process can be automated, which is more time-efficient. Profiling tools also enable the company to send prepaid shipping labels to employees on leave who have to send back labels. The labels also simplify the process of returning devices and equipment by the employees, who do not have to bear any out-of-pocket expenses. It also makes the return process smooth and timely.
Tracking:
Automated tracking helps companies track the status of returned assets. A real-time tracking system will make the device return within the required time frame and provide receipt evidence.
Coordinating Across Departments
Achieving offboarding successfully for remote workers needs to involve the smooth coordination of various departments to accomplish a safe process. HR, IT, and Facilities will be instrumental in handling various players of the offboarding process.
Collaboration Between HR, IT, and Facilities
HR’s Role:
Upon the departure of an employee, HR will usually call the individual for the offboarding process. They also take care of the legal or compliance requirements, like non-competition contracts or secrecy. HR assists in organizing the schedule of returning assets and cooperates with IT to make sure that everything will be done within the schedule.
IT’s Role:
The IT department plays a critical role in the proper management of all the digital assets. It involves blocking digital access to employee systems, applications, and cloud storage. IT also needs to monitor all gadgets given to the employee, including laptops, phones, and external drives, and make sure that the data in any given device is wiped off. They also participate in the process so that no confidential information is exposed when the employee is not in the company.
Facilities’ Role:
Facilities wherein any physical office equipment that was issued to the remote employee needs to be retrieved. This can be in the form of monitors, ergonomic seats, desks, or other office supplies that they carried home to work. The Facilities Coordination ensures all company properties are returned, such as tech equipment or office furniture.
Comprehensive Offboarding
To make sure no steps go unnoticed, cooperation of all departments is required to reclaim any company assets that the employee might possess, either in digital or physical form. The risk of missing items is minimized, and IT equipment and any office supplies are accounted for this purpose.
Conclusion
Offboarding of remote employees is a critical process that should be scheduled, announced, and organized with various departments. It is essential to take every step to save the assets and sensitive data of the company, whether by withdrawing digital access, obtaining a device, wiping data, or meeting legal demands.
Such businesses can offer an effective and secure process of leaving employees by applying best practices, such as automated asset management, creating clear directions on what happens to the assets after utilization, and fostering collaboration between HR, IT, and Facilities.
