People and IT
The IT checklist for an employee’s first day and last day.
Most IT problems with new and departing staff come from something small that got missed. Here are both checklists. Copy them, or hand them to whoever looks after your IT.
The hard part
Why it goes wrong
The ex-employee who still gets company email on their phone.
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What it costs you
Access that outlives the job, and new hires who can’t work for days.
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What it feels like
Everyone assumes someone else handled it.
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Why it shouldn’t be this way
A checklist, run the same way every time, fixes it.
Onboarding
Before and on day one
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Set up the essentials.
Have each of these ready before they sit down:
- Account created in the company’s name, with MFA from the first sign-in.
- Computer set up, updated and protected before it’s handed over.
- Email signature, shared mailboxes and distribution lists.
- Files access to the right shared folders, and nothing more.
- Software the apps they need for the job.
- Security basics a short walkthrough on phishing and who to ask for help.
Offboarding
On their last day
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Close access the same day.
Work through each of these before the day is out:
- Sign-in disabled, and active sessions ended.
- Mailbox converted to shared or forwarded to a manager.
- Files OneDrive contents moved to someone who needs them.
- Devices laptops and phones collected, company data wiped from personal devices.
- MFA and apps removed from their phone, and from vendor portals and business software.
- Shared passwords changed, for anything they knew.
The one most often missed: company email still syncing to a personal phone. Check it.
Who we are
How we run it
Onboarding and offboarding run as a checklist, and you get confirmation when each one is done. New hires start with a working laptop. Departing staff lose access the same day.
Same checklist every time
Nothing depends on memory.
Same-day offboarding
Access closed when they leave.
Confirmation sent
You know it’s done.
Ready on day one
No waiting on IT.
Where to start
Where to start
The choice is yours.
- See where your IT stands in about four minutes. Test the maturity of your tech →
- Want the checklists run for you? Book my free IT risk review →
- A team of 15 to 70 who want IT fully handled. Our Fully Managed IT Support Program →
What success looks like
Nobody slips through.
On the first day or the last.
- New hires can work on day one.
- Access ends the day someone leaves.
- You get confirmation, every time.
Questions about onboarding and offboarding
What should IT do when an employee leaves?
Disable their sign-in the same day, keep their mailbox and files, collect devices, and remove them from MFA, vendor portals and shared passwords.
Should we delete a departed employee’s account?
Not right away. Disable it, and keep the mailbox and files until you’re sure nothing is needed.
How do we stop email on a former employee’s phone?
Disable the account, sign out active sessions, and remove company data from the device.
What does a new hire need on day one?
An account with MFA, a set-up computer, email, the right files and the apps for the job.
Who should own this checklist?
One person, usually an office manager, working with whoever runs your IT.
Do you handle this for clients?
Yes. Both checklists run for every hire and departure, with confirmation when they’re done.
Want these run for you?
Start with a few questions about your tech, or book a free IT risk review. Either way, you keep what we find.