Your workspace
When someone leaves
The day they go, and the two weeks before. In that order of importance.
Someone leaving is nearly always treated as an access matter: remove the account and done. That is the urgent part, but it is not what will cost you money three months from now.
The two weeks before
- 1
Have them move conversations into the files
Whatever stays in their inbox goes with the account, and that is where commitments live.
- 2
Have them write down the why of the odd cases
The exceptions only they knew: who is billed differently, who must be phoned.
- 3
Make clear who picks up each matter
By file, with a name. "The team" is not an owner.
- 4
And review their tasks and alerts
If they were in their name, nobody will look at them after they go.
Important
The first point is 80% of the value. Most knowledge lost in a departure was never in anyone's head: it was in an email nobody else can open.
The day itself
| What | When | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Withdraw access | That same day | Not the following week |
| Close their sessions and devices | At the same time | Removing the account does not close what is already open everywhere |
| Reassign what was in their name | Before withdrawing | Otherwise it is orphaned and nobody sees it |
| Record the date | In the log | It is what gets checked if something happened afterwards |
Watch out
The third row must happen **before** the second. Withdraw access first and their tasks, alerts and files are left without an owner, and nobody notices until something expires.
What is not deleted
What is withdrawn is access, not the trace. That distinction is what lets you answer years later who did what, even though the person is gone.
Worth knowing
If the departure is contentious, reverse the order: access first, handover with whatever exists after. And review the activity log for the preceding days, which is exactly what it is there for.
›What if they come back later?
Grant access again; do not leave it open just in case.
›Does it free their seat?
Yes, withdrawing access makes it available for someone else.
›Can I see what they took?
You can see what they consulted and downloaded, which is what the activity log records.
A real case
The situation
A company withdraws access on the leaving date and two months later an insurance policy lapses.
What you do
- Reassigns tasks and alerts before withdrawing access on the next departure
- Asks for conversations to be moved into the files
What you get
The successor sees what is due and nothing is left without an owner.
The situation
Somebody leaves with open files in their name.
What you do
- Reassigns their files before their last day
What you get
No third party is left waiting.
The situation
Their mailbox is closed and conversations go with it.
What you do
- Stores what matters in the files beforehand
What you get
The information outlives the departure.
The situation
Their access stays active weeks later.
What you do
- Revokes access on their last day
What you get
The account reflects who works here.
The situation
Notices keep going to their address.
What you do
- Changes the recipient on the files
What you get
Notices reach somebody who exists.
The situation
There is a wish to delete their past signatures.
What you do
- Keeps the record of what they did
What you get
The history stays true.
This article answers
- employee leaving access removal
- what to do when someone leaves the team
- handover before a departure
- revoking access for a leaver