Have you left the back door open, again? Off board ex-employees.

Why an employee onboarding and offboarding checklist is critical for your business

New clients are almost always surprised when we create a custom onboarding and offboarding process for their organisation. Our first thought is, “Why aren’t other providers doing this?”

According to some sources, as many as 1 in 3 former employees still have access to IT systems; this is a major security blackhole. The HR Director

A checklist style process is ideal for employees onboarding and offboarding. This significantly reduces error as the technician goes through each step before completing the service ticket. If you or your provider is currently haphazardly managing this process, please read through this entire blog because there could be major productivity and security consequences for your organisation. Having a well-defined process in place can bring peace of mind, knowing that your business is secure and efficient.

First and foremost, a well-defined process brings a sense of relief, ensuring that new employees have the resources and support they need to get up to speed quickly and effectively. This includes providing access to necessary software and systems, setting up accounts and permissions, and providing training on company policies and procedures. By streamlining the onboarding process, you can help new employees hit the ground running and be productive from day one. There are few things more frustrating for the employee or the trainer than having to stop multiple times throughout the week or waiting around to get started.

A defined onboarding process benefits new employees and helps protect your technology systems’ security and integrity. Without a transparent process in place, it can be difficult to ensure that access is granted in a controlled and secure manner. By having a defined process, you can ensure that new employees only have access to the systems and resources they need to do their jobs and that all access is properly documented and tracked.

A defined offboarding process is also essential for your business’s technology. When employees leave the company, they must ensure that their access to systems and resources is terminated promptly and securely. This helps protect your systems’ security and prevent unauthorized access or data breaches.

In addition to the security element of an offboarding, you could lose money every time this is done incorrectly. If managed devices, software, and licenses are not terminated when the employee leaves, you will continue to receive monthly bills that add up quickly. A defined offboarding ensures these are cutoff at an agreed upon time interval, preventing these expenses from chipping away at your bottom line and making you feel more prudent.

How to make this process easier?

1. Work with your IT Provider to define the onboarding/offboarding checklist. Ensure it includes everything needed so items don’t slip through the cracks, costing you money and time.
2. Submit the service order as early as possible to give your provider enough time to work through the entire list. Rushed onboardings are never fun.
3. Define a “critical offboarding” procedure. Sometimes, there just won’t be days’ notice when it comes to offboarding. It may be a need-now situation. So, ensure there is a process of locking the sure out immediately, giving the technician enough time to work through the other items without risking security.
4. If you identify items on the checklist that are consistently missed, communicate with your provider. What process can be adjusted to ensure nothing on the list is missed? Something may be missing, or the IT provider may not have good internal communication to ensure these are followed. Either way, staying on top of these will significantly impact your productivity, profitability, and security.

If you’ve read this far, you must understand the importance of doing this right. It’s crucial to review your current process. Is it effective? Does it limit security, productivity and expenses? If not, work with your provider to improve this process. This proactive approach will make you feel more in control of your business operations.

Unfortunately, some providers are inconsistent with this. If you need assistance from a local technology expert, please reach out. We’re happy to help!

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