Employee Offboarding IT Checklist

Employee offboarding is one of the most important parts of business security.

When someone leaves the company, their access should be removed quickly and completely.

If offboarding is handled casually, the business may leave old accounts active, files exposed, devices unmanaged, passwords unchanged, and remote access open.

That creates unnecessary risk.

A strong IT offboarding checklist protects the company and makes the transition cleaner.

1. Block Account Sign-In

The first step is to block access to the user’s company account.

For Microsoft 365, this usually means blocking sign-in and resetting the password.

Timing matters. For planned departures, this should happen at the correct time on the employee’s last day. For immediate terminations, access should be disabled right away.

2. Remove MFA Devices

Do not only change the password.

Remove the user’s MFA methods and trusted devices.

This helps prevent the user from using old authentication methods to regain access.

3. Preserve or Convert the Mailbox

Depending on the role, the company may need access to the user’s mailbox after departure.

Options may include:

• Converting the mailbox to a shared mailbox
• Giving a manager access
• Setting an automatic reply
• Forwarding mail when appropriate
• Preserving data for compliance or business needs

This should be handled carefully to protect privacy and business continuity.

4. Review OneDrive and SharePoint Access

Many employees store important files in OneDrive or access shared files in SharePoint.

Review:

• OneDrive ownership
• Shared links
• SharePoint permissions
• Teams access
• External sharing
• Important files that need to be transferred

Do not assume all important data is in a shared folder.

5. Remove Remote Access

If the user had VPN, remote desktop, remote access tools, or cloud application access, those should be removed.

Remote access is a major security concern if left active.

6. Recover Company Devices

Collect company-owned equipment.

This may include:

• Laptop
• Desktop
• Mobile phone
• Tablet
• Security key
• Headset
• Docking station
• Badge
• External hard drive

Devices should be reviewed, wiped, reassigned, or stored properly.

7. Remove Access to Business Applications

Microsoft 365 is only one part of offboarding.

Also remove access from:

• Accounting software
• CRM
• Phone system
• Password manager
• Vendor portals
• Project management tools
• Banking or payment platforms
• Industry-specific software

Every business should maintain a list of systems users may access.

8. Change Shared Passwords

If your company still uses shared passwords, change them when an employee leaves.

Better yet, move away from shared passwords and use proper user-based access whenever possible.

Shared passwords make offboarding harder and less secure.

9. Reassign Phone and Voicemail

If the employee had a phone extension, voicemail, or call routing, update it.

Make sure clients and vendors are not calling an inactive extension.

10. Document the Offboarding

Keep a record of what was removed and when.

This helps protect the company and gives leadership confidence that access was handled properly.

How MTech Helps

MTech helps businesses create secure employee offboarding processes.

We can help disable accounts, review Microsoft 365 access, remove remote access, preserve mailboxes, recover devices, remove application access, and document the process.

The goal is to make offboarding complete, consistent, and secure.

For the opposite side of the employee lifecycle, read New Employee IT Onboarding Checklist.

Final Thoughts

Offboarding is not just an HR task. It is an IT security task.

When an employee leaves, the company needs to protect email, files, devices, passwords, remote access, and business applications.

If your offboarding process is informal or inconsistent, MTech can help create a safer workflow.

Schedule an IT assessment today and let’s review your onboarding and offboarding process.