36 Essential Tasks for Your Offboarding Checklist Template
In the modern HR playbook, saying goodbye can be as important as saying hello. An effective employee offboarding checklist captures the critical feedback and insights that make your company better – all while ensuring a smooth and safe handover of equipment and access.
Let’s dive into why mastering the offboarding checklist is your secret sauce to turning exits into fond farewells.
6 Things to Consider When Offboarding Employees
Blending empathy and security into your employee offboarding checklist can help safeguard your employer brand and remind an outgoing employee why they came to work for you in the first place. It leaves employees with a lasting positive impression of your brand and can turn them into brand supporters and ambassadors — and sometimes even boomerang employees.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare your offboarding checklist.
- Remote and Hybrid Work: Offboarding an employee who isn’t in office full-time requires careful planning, such as virtual exit interviews, arranging return shipping for company equipment, and tracking return shipment of devices.
- Empathy Is Key: Each departure is unique. Be consistent in your tasks, but tailor your approach to fit the individual and their situation.
- Firm and Fair: Don’t forget to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, especially regarding company property and data security.
- Don’t Forget the Team: When an employee leaves, it affects everyone. Communicate effectively to manage morale and redistribute responsibilities.
- Brand Ambassadors in the Making: Part on good terms, and your former employees can become powerful allies and advocates in the marketplace.
- The Boomerang Concept: Today’s goodbye could be tomorrow’s welcome back. Keep the door open for star alumni to return in new roles.
6 Items to Include in Your Offboarding Checklist
Breaking down your offboarding checklist into phases can help you manage the process more smoothly. You’ll notice all of the items in our checklist fall into these five phases.
1. Pre-Exit Engagement: Oftentimes you will know someone is leaving before they actually give (or are given) notice. This period before official notification could be a time to offer support and resources for career transitions, including counseling or coaching, negotiating counter-offers, or working with employees on skills development, career pathing, and succession planning.
2. Notification and Documentation: Once the official notification happens, you’ll be on the countdown clock. Many departures will include the standard notice period — but not all. Once you receive notice of resignation or issue a termination notice, you will want to begin executing your offboarding plan. This is often an important time for knowledge transfer and to check in with the broader team to be sure their needs are being met. Ensure clear communication during this period and be sure to document it thoroughly, including the employee’s last working day.
3: The Transition: Here you’ll begin the knowledge transfer process, documentation key processes and responsibilities. Be sure to update the broader team on upcoming changes and start a handover of duties to appropriate team members. During this phase, you’ll also want to review and update project timelines and conduct an initial security review.
4. The Final Farewell: The time for a goodbye will eventually come. Celebrate the employee’s time with your company and, if appropriate, organize a farewell or acknowledgment that honors their contributions. On their final day, revoke access to all systems and accounts and recover company assets (laptop, ID badge, etc.). Conduct a personalized exit interview and provide necessary documentation (relieving letter, benefits continuation, etc.).
5. Post-Exit Follow-Up: Now’s the time to analyze exit interview feedback, update your alumni database, and conduct a final security audit.
6. Additional Tasks: Here are some other items to consider during the offboarding process:
- Update org charts and contact lists
- Inform clients or vendors of the change (if applicable)
- Update social media and website information (if applicable)
- Conduct a team debrief on the transition
- Review and update job description for the vacant position
- Initiate recruitment process (if backfilling)
- Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
- Provide references (if agreed upon)
- Offer outplacement services (if applicable)
- Review and adjust team goals (if necessary)

36 Items to Include in Your Employee Offboarding Checklist
Merging the best of practical needs and supportive approaches, here’s your ultimate offboarding checklist:
Pre-Exit Engagement
Counseling:
- Offer support and resources, including career coaching or counseling services, if applicable.
Notification & Documentation
Notification of Resignation or Termination:
- Receive and document the employee’s notice of resignation or issue a termination notice.
- Determine the employee’s last working day.
Communication:
- Plan how to communicate the departure to the rest of the team or company, respecting the departing employee’s privacy and preferences.
- Highlight the departing employee’s achievements and contributions in internal communications.
The Transition
Knowledge Transfer:
- Facilitate a knowledge transfer session, if applicable, to ensure continuity of work. This might involve documenting processes or training a successor. (Enboarder can automate this process and we’ve got a great template for you to use, here.)
Mental Health & Wellbeing:
- Provide resources or referrals for emotional or financial well-being during the transition.
- Offer access to support services during the notice period, for both the departing employee and their team, such as counseling or stress management programs.
Transition Support for Remaining Team Members:
- Prepare the remaining team for the transition, including addressing any changes in workload or responsibilities.
- Offer support and resources to help the team adjust, such as team-building activities or access to counseling services.
Financial & Benefit Matters:
- Finalize payroll matters, including the payment of any outstanding salary, bonuses, or expenses.
- Discuss and process any applicable benefits continuation, such as COBRA for healthcare (if in the USA).
- Clearly communicate the status of benefits post-departure, including any perks that remain available to alumni.
- Offer guidance on managing retirement accounts or other financial assets associated with employment.
The Final Farewell
Compliance and Removal of Access:
- Ensure all legal and regulatory requirements related to the employee’s departure are met, including any necessary notifications to government agencies.
- Ensure that all legal and compliance aspects are handled with care and respect for the individual’s situation.
- Review and communicate any non-compete or confidentiality agreements in a clear and empathetic manner.
- Revoke access to all company systems, including email accounts, software applications, and internal databases.
- Collect any physical access cards or keys.
Return of Company Property:
- Ensure the return of all company property, including laptops, uniforms, cars, mobile phones, documents, and any other equipment or materials.
- If the separation is involuntary, consider whether it makes business sense for the employee to keep their laptop, phone, or other personal devices.
Security and Confidentiality:
- Remind the departing employee of any ongoing confidentiality obligations.
- Ensure that all company data is securely transferred or deleted from the employee’s personal devices if they were used for work.
Fond Farewell:
- If appropriate, organize a farewell gesture to acknowledge the employee’s contribution such as a farewell dinner or departure drinks.
- Consider creative acknowledgments like a personalized video from colleagues or a keepsake that reflects their time with the company.
- Provide information on networking opportunities or alumni groups.
Personalized Exit Interview:
- Schedule an exit interview to discuss the employee’s reasons for leaving and gather feedback on their experience at the company.
- Customize the exit interview to reflect on the employee’s specific contributions and experiences.
- Express gratitude for the employee’s service and discuss ways to potentially collaborate in the future.
Post-Exit Followup
Continued Engagement Opportunities:
- If appropriate, discuss opportunities for future collaboration, mentoring, freelance work, or rehire in a new role.
- Provide information on how to stay engaged with company initiatives or community service projects.
- Invite departing employees to join an alumni network to maintain long-term professional and social connections.
Personnel Documentation:
- Update the employee’s status in HR systems and records.
- Provide or discuss the provision of any necessary employment documentation, such as reference letters or service certificates.
Feedback Implementation:
- Actively demonstrate how feedback from exit interviews or surveys is being used to improve the company culture and practices.
- Use insights gained from the exit interview to improve organizational practices and employee retention strategies.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Offboarding Process
How do you know your offboarding process is working? Here are some key metrics to keep track of:
- Percentage of offboarding employees with access revoked on time
- Company equipment retrieval rate
- Data security compliance rate
- Final pay and benefits processing accuracy
- Knowledge transfer completion rate
- Exit satisfaction score
- Average time to complete offboarding tasks
- Process compliance rate
Involuntary Terminations and Contentious Exits
Of course not every goodbye will be bittersweet. In cases where your departing employee is involuntarily terminated, you’ll need to focus on security, compliance, and professionalism.
Here are some things to consider:
- Preparation & Legal Compliance: Review employment contracts, severance agreements, and non-compete clauses and consult legal or HR experts to ensure compliance with termination laws. If applicable, prepare documentation of performance issues or misconduct.
- Delivering the Termination Notification: Focus on being clear and concise and always have an HR representative present for support and compliance. Be sure to send an official termination letter with relevant details and outlining expectations for the final work day and equipment return.
- Security & IT Considerations: Disable access to company emails, files, software, and internal platform simultaneously or immediately after the termination conversation. Arrange a return process for company devices and, if necessary, remotely wipe company-owned devices before shipment.
- Internal Communication: Prepare an announcement to the remaining team while avoiding sharing sensitive details. Offer support and monitor employee sentiment for those closely impacted by the termination.
- Post-Termination Follow Up: Ensure final pay and benefits are processed smoothly and offer career support or transition services (if appropriate).
Learning from Onboarding to Enhance Offboarding
Like personalized, engaging onboarding, great offboarding will focus on clear communication, maintaining a strong employer brand, and reinforcing relationships. You can even use automated onboarding tools here to gather feedback and reinforce the value you place on each individual’s entire journey with your company.
This means:
- Using push notifications and compelling micro-content to keep everyone engaged
- Creating solid workflows to maintain compliance
- Engaging with empathy, to leave a great lasting impression
- Infusing your values and purpose into the experience
Pro tip: Use an employee journey platform (like Enboarder) to guide the entire experience of offboarding — from pre-exit to alumni networks. We have pre-built best practice workflows for both offboarding employees and for keeping alumni networks connected!
Turn Goodbyes into Opportunities for Growth
Offboarding checklists, when done right, can transform a potentially negative experience into a constructive one for the departing employee, their team, and the company. By blending logistical necessities with a dose of empathy and strategic thinking, you can create a process that not only safeguards your company’s interests but also enhances your reputation and maintains strong relationships.
Enboarder is the only employee journey platform that can help you automate the cumbersome administrative tasks of offboarding so you can do much more with less.
Schedule your FREE demo today to learn more.e.