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# Your employee offboarding checklist  (+ with real examples)
- URL: https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/your-employee-offboarding-checklist/
- Published: 2026-09-23T12:25:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T12:25:00.000Z
- Description: The best offboarding checklist for HR is the one your managers actually use, so take the free checklist above, tailor it to your organization, and revisit it every six months based on what your exit interviews and access audits tell you.
- Author: Teresa Garanhel
- Tags: Employee experience, Articles

Someone on your team [just handed in their notice](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/a-complete-guide-to-the-employee-exit-process/). Maybe it was a two-line email at 4:55 p.m. on a Friday, or maybe it was a heartfelt conversation you half-saw coming.

Either way, the clock's ticking, and what happens over the next two to four weeks will shape how that person talks about your company for years.

It'll also decide whether their knowledge walks out the door with them, and whether their credentials keep working long after their badge stops.

That's why a [good checklist](https://www.peoplealliance.com/exit-survey-framework/):

- Gives a repeatable process [people leaders](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/what-is-a-people-leader/) will actually follow,
- Protects the business from legal and security headaches, and
- Leaves the departing employee feeling respected.

## **Why the best offboarding checklist for HR matters more than ever in 2026**

For a long time, offboarding was the forgotten sibling of onboarding. You'd collect the laptop, run a quick [exit interview](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/a-complete-guide-to-the-employee-exit-process/), process the final paycheck, and call it done. The data says that approach is getting expensive.

In [Enboarder's survey of 1,000 HR decision-makers](https://enboarder.com/blog/ai-and-offboarding-redefining-the-employee-journey/?ref=peoplealliance.com), 41.6% of HR leaders estimated that inconsistent offboarding drains as much as $500,000 a year from their organization once lost know-how, security exposure, and rehiring are added up, and the single biggest pain point, named by 47% of respondents, was losing institutional knowledge.

There's a revealing gap in that same research. About three-quarters of organizations (76.6%) said they're worried about knowledge drain, even though 56.5% claim to already have a formal process for capturing it, which suggests those processes are either skipped or ineffective.

And the people leaving today might be the people you hire back tomorrow. We'll get to the boomerang numbers later, but the short version is that the way you say goodbye has quietly become part of your recruiting strategy.

[Exit survey templateDiscover why people leave and what you can do to make others stay.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-27669abd-e307-49b1-b3bf-af938867db5f.png)People AllianceTeresa Garanhel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/Exit-survey-template-32ff8b30-2451-49ce-9b46-47ddf2b162a6.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/exit-survey-framework/)

## **Phase one: what to do in the first 48 hours after notice**

The first two days set the tone for everything else. Move too slowly and rumors fill the vacuum, move too fast and clumsily, and a perfectly amicable departure starts to feel cold.

Start by getting the resignation confirmed in writing, including the final working day. Then loop in the partners who'll own pieces of the process: [payroll](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/people-operations-vs-hr/), IT, the employee's manager, and legal if there's anything unusual, like a non-compete, a pending investigation, or a visa dependency. 

Decide early whether the person will work their full notice period or move to garden leave, particularly if they're heading to a direct competitor or hold highly sensitive access.

Next, agree on how the news gets shared. Ask the [departing employee](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-fire-someone-nicely-with-examples/) how they'd like it handled, and settle the message before anyone hits send.

### **Real example: GitLab**

[GitLab runs one of the most transparent offboarding processes](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/offboarding/faq/?ref=peoplealliance.com) around, because its entire employee [handbook](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-create-an-employee-handbook-fast/) is public.

Its offboarding FAQ says departing team members are encouraged to write their departure announcement together with their manager and post it in a company-wide [Slack channel](https://www.peoplealliance.com/join-the-pa-slack-community/), but only after leadership is fully aligned on timelines and the affected team and stakeholders already know.

The company also gives managers a guideline and [template](https://www.peoplealliance.com/content-hub/?filter=templates-frameworks) for these announcements, including suggestions for personal touches like the person's favorite contribution, along with guidance on what should and shouldn't be shared.

That one rule, team first and company second, prevents the classic mistake of a colleague finding out from a Slack post that their closest collaborator is leaving.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-0b33b865-8904-4286-afd4-0f7998b4aa49.png)

[Source](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/offboarding/faq/?ref=peoplealliance.com)

## **Phase two: knowledge transfer that actually sticks**

This is the phase most checklists squeeze into one line, usually something like “complete handover document.” It's also the phase that causes the most long-term damage when it's rushed.

A solid [knowledge](https://www.peoplealliance.com/levelling-progression-framework/) transfer plan starts with an inventory. Sit down with the departing employee and their manager and list everything they own:

- Recurring tasks
- Projects in flight
- Relationships inside and outside the company
- Tools only they know how to use
- Undocumented workarounds that keep things running

**That last category is usually the biggest, and it's the one people forget to mention because it feels too obvious to them.**

Once you've got the inventory, assign each item to a named successor. Then match the transfer method to the type of knowledge. [Written docs](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-write-up-an-employee/) are fine for processes. Recorded screen-share walkthroughs work well for complicated tools. Live shadowing is best for judgment-heavy work, where the "why" matters as much as the "how."

For client-facing roles, warm introductions with both the departing person and the successor on the call are non-negotiable.

### **Real example: TechnipFMC**

In a white paper on what it calls the “Great Retirement,” [APQC highlighted TechnipFMC](https://www.apqc.org/resource-library/resource/navigating-great-retirement-km-ai/html?ref=peoplealliance.com), the global energy technology company, as a model for handling expert departures.

Facing the risk of losing critical expertise as long-tenured people retired, the company built a seven-step process that includes a [risk assessment](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/proactive-risk-management/), knowledge mapping, and a customized transfer plan for every retiring expert.

Once an expert is identified and resources are committed, the process runs roughly like this: 

1. Build a project plan
2. Interview the expert and the people who rely on their knowledge
3. Run a risk assessment to narrow things down to the knowledge that's both unique and critical
4. Map that knowledge (including its context, owner, and purpose)
5. Write a transfer plan that tackles the biggest gaps in the most critical areas first
6. Deploy it by creating and promoting knowledge assets to the people who need them
7. Close out the project with a celebration.

That last step is the one people leaders should pay attention to. TechnipFMC's team treats every departing expert as their own project, because [personalities](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-manage-difficult-people-easier-said-than-done/) and knowledge styles differ, and it recognizes that handing over decades of work can be an emotional moment for someone reflecting on their legacy.

Celebrating each retiring expert is how the company honors that legacy, and it also builds buy-in for the process among the people who'll go through it next.

The takeaway for your own offboarding checklist: treat knowledge transfer for high-impact roles as a small project with an owner, a plan, and an end date, rather than a single handover [document](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-document-a-verbal-warning-tips-template/).

And don't skip the celebration. Recognizing someone's expertise publicly is one of the easiest ways to get their full cooperation in passing it on.

[What is a People Ops dashboard?People Ops dashboards are a genuine shift in how people leaders make decisions, moving away from backward-looking summaries and toward something you can act on in the moment.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-aacaf929-5e32-4624-bb5d-562d28fb2e33.png)People AllianceTeresa Garanhel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-PA_Website_Article_Images_Doodles--41--aaa976fe-d877-4a4a-8228-c348945cca34.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/what-is-a-people-ops-dashboard/)

## **Phase three: legal, payroll, and benefits items you can't skip**

This part isn't glamorous, but it's where [mistakes](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/change-management-done-wrong/) get costly fast. Rules vary a lot by state and country, so treat what follows as a framework and confirm the specifics with your legal or payroll team.

Final pay comes first. State laws differ widely on timing. California, for instance, requires final wages on the last day when the employer ends the [relationship](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/what-is-employee-relations/), while other states let you wait until the next regular payday.

Pin down your obligations the day notice is given, and check whether your state or your own policy requires paying out accrued vacation.

[Benefits](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-build-a-total-rewards-strategy-in-8-steps/) come next. Employees on your group health plan will need information about continuation coverage, and there are firm deadlines for notifying your plan administrator.

You'll also want to explain what happens to retirement accounts, life insurance, flexible spending balances, and equity, including option exercise windows that may start ticking on the last day.

Then there's paperwork. Remind the employee of any confidentiality, IP, or restrictive covenant agreements in a neutral, matter-of-fact tone.

If there's a separation agreement or release, have counsel review it, especially for US employees over 40, where specific review and revocation periods apply. And collect a personal email and mailing address for tax forms and future correspondence.

### **Real example: Wells Fargo's COBRA notice**

Legal exposure doesn't only come from big severance promises.

[Former Wells Fargo employees filed a class action](https://www.basusa.com/blog/class-action-settlement-former-employees-allege-misleading/?ref=peoplealliance.com) claiming the bank's COBRA election notice was intimidating and misleading because it warned of civil and criminal penalties for incomplete information and referenced a $50 IRS penalty, which they said discouraged them from electing coverage.

A federal court preliminarily approved a $1 million settlement covering roughly 50,000 plan beneficiaries.

Notably, the Department of Labor's model COBRA notice contains no mention of civil or criminal penalties for incomplete information. 

It's a good reminder to review the actual wording of every document a departing employee receives, not just whether it goes out on time.

[How to run stay interviews well (tips + mistakes to avoid)Running stay interviews means building genuine trust with your people, listening even when the answer is uncomfortable, and following through consistently.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-169de565-5f32-4a86-9b18-ffa1335704c0.png)People AllianceTeresa Garanhel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-PA_Website_Article_Images_Doodles--37--b1577317-643a-4748-8ce4-2940b9bd7451.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-run-stay-interviews-well/)

## **Phase four: access, equipment, and data security**

This is where HR and IT need to be joined at the hip. The goal sounds simple: on the last day, all access ends and company property comes back.

Build a full access inventory with IT ahead of time. That covers the obvious systems like email, the HRIS, and the CRM, but also the easy-to-miss stuff: shared social media logins, password managers, code repositories, vendor portals, [AI tools](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/ai-as-a-tool-for-smarter-people-operations/) someone signed up for with a work email, and any SaaS apps bought on a corporate card.

Transfer ownership of files and shared drives before accounts are deactivated, so nothing important disappears.

For remote staff, send a [prepaid return kit](https://www.peoplealliance.com/working-from-home-equipment-policy-framework/) a week before the last day and track it like any other asset.

### **Real example: Block's Cash App**

In December 2021, a former employee at Block [downloaded Cash App Investing reports after leaving the company](https://www.pymnts.com/cybersecurity/2024/block-to-pay-cash-app-users-up-to-2500-in-settlement/?ref=peoplealliance.com).

In its SEC filing, Block explained that the person had routinely used those reports in their old job, but accessed them without authorization once their employment had ended.

The reports held names and brokerage account numbers, and Block ended up contacting roughly 8.2 million current and former customers. A class action followed, and Cash App agreed to a $15 million settlement.

In essence, one lingering access path can turn into years of legal and reputational fallout.

[Working from home equipment policySimplify remote work setups with a clear, customizable policy your people will actually use.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-b7c063fa-f047-4c84-b2fc-00f45ac7e588.png)People AllianceTeresa Garanhel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/Working-from-home-equipment-policy-0eb4a279-59a1-42bf-a129-35b8f728fa20.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/working-from-home-equipment-policy-framework/)

## **Phase five: exit interviews and learning from every departure**

Exit interviews have a bad reputation, mostly because so many companies run them poorly and then never act on what they hear.

There's plenty of room to improve. [Qualtrics reported](https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/employee-experience/exit-interviews/?ref=peoplealliance.com) that in its 2025 employee experience research, employees rated exit and candidate processes as even worse than onboarding.

A few choices make a big difference. Think carefully about who runs the conversation.

If someone's leaving because of their manager, they won't say so to that manager, so an [HR business partner](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-hr-business-partner/) or skip-level leader usually gets more candid answers.

Consider a short follow-up survey 30 days after the last day, once the final paycheck has cleared and people feel freer to be honest. Keep questions open-ended and specific.

"What almost made you stay?" tends to beat "Why are you leaving?" and "When did you first start looking?" often reveals the real trigger.

Then close the loop by sharing themes with [leadership](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/why-the-best-approach-to-leadership-is-people-centric/) every quarter and telling current employees what changed.

### **Real example: Parkview Health**

Parkview Health, the Indiana-based health system, wanted to understand why so many nurses were leaving within their first year, so it brought in Work Institute to [run exit interviews](https://workinstitute.com/engagement-retention-services/exit-interviews/?ref=peoplealliance.com) on its behalf.

Because the data was specific enough to point to root causes rather than vague themes, Parkview was able to act on it in several concrete ways:

- It built a nursing career ladder
- Partnered with a local university to expand tuition assistance
- Removed several poorly performing nurse managers
- Realigned some staff so nurses had adequate supervision
- Overhauled its orientation and onboarding

According to Work Institute's case study, those changes cut first-year turnover by roughly a third across the departments involved, alongside a 33% jump in "excellent" ratings for onboarding.

Two details make this example especially useful for people leaders.

First, some of the fixes were uncomfortable ones. Exit feedback pointed at specific managers, and the organization acted on it instead of explaining it away. That's the step most companies skip.

Second, the case supports the timing advice above. Work Institute reports that across multiple studies, interviewing people after they've left and using a third party surfaces different reasons for leaving 40% to 63% of the time, largely because employees still on the payroll worry about references, their final paycheck, or retaliation from their manager.

The takeaway: an exit interview program is only as good as the decisions it leads to.

If your data keeps pointing to the same [manager](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/top-10-developmental-goals-examples-for-leaders/), the same [onboarding](https://www.peoplealliance.com/employee-onboarding-and-integration-framework/) gap, or the same missing career path, the checklist item that matters is the one where leadership commits to fixing it.

[30/60/90-day onboarding plan templateStructure, support, and success - your 30/60/90 onboarding plan, all in one template.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-f0081142-425e-4eae-bca7-2c6cc027dc00.png)People AllianceSabrinthia Donnelly![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/306090-day-onboarding-template-f6a0c56f-219a-4ae9-aa39-36b25b3dcb14.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/30-60-90-day-onboarding-plan-template-framework/)

## **Building a pipeline for boomerang hires**

This is where thoughtful offboarding really pays you back. Rehiring former employees has become mainstream.

[ADP Research found](https://www.adpresearch.com/main-street-macro/boomerang-hiring-makes-a-comeback?ref=peoplealliance.com) that returning employees account for only about 2% of active workers yet made up 31% of new hires on average, and in March 2025 that share reached 35%, up from 31% a year earlier.

In some sectors it's even higher, with close to two-thirds of new information-sector hires in March 2025 being returning employees, double the prior year's rate.

For instance, [20% of AI software engineers Google hired last year were ex-employees](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/19/google-boomerang-year-20percent-ai-software-devs-hired-2025-ex-employees.html?ref=peoplealliance.com); in one of the most competitive talent markets on the planet, former employees have become a major source of hires.

Large firms have formalized this for years. Accenture's official alumni platform connects more than [400,000 former employees in over 80 countries](https://peoplepath.com/blog/a-selection-of-the-worlds-top-corporate-alumni-programs/?ref=peoplealliance.com), and members get job alerts, rehire programs, and the ability to refer friends.

To build your own pipeline, ask departing employees whether they'd like to stay in touch, invite them to an alumni group or newsletter, flag strong performers as rehire-eligible in your HRIS, and make sure recruiters check that list before posting roles externally.

## **How to adapt your checklist for layoffs, terminations, and remote exits**

The core phases stay the same across every type of exit, but the emphasis shifts.

For **involuntary terminations**, access removal, final pay, and documentation move to the front. 

Keep the conversation short, private, and respectful, have a second person present, and hand the employee a written summary of next steps, since very few people absorb details after hearing bad news.

For [**layoffs**](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/how-to-fire-someone-nicely-with-examples/), check whether notice laws like the federal WARN Act or state equivalents apply, make sure affected employees hear the news directly before it spreads, and prepare managers to lead the people who remain.

For **remote employees**, lean on structure. Schedule every handover meeting in advance, sort out equipment return early, and make the goodbye as personal as it would be in an office.

A remote worker whose departure is marked only by an automated deactivation email won't forget it.

[Change management done wrong: 8 mistakes costing organizations millionsThe organizations that get it right are those that understand change as a fundamentally human experience, one that requires empathy, communication, consistency, and humility throughout, not just at the start.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-a2ee9930-d1a4-46cc-b310-7a6461884ae2.png)People AllianceTeresa Garanhel![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/Copy-of-PA_Website_Article_Images_Doodles--30--e8c6cc58-fed2-4720-88db-4239722f3cea.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/articles/change-management-done-wrong/)

## **Free employee offboarding checklist (copy, use, and share)**

Here's the complete checklist, organized by timeline. Feel free to copy it into your HRIS, project management tool, or a shared doc, adapt it to your organization, and share it with your team or network.

**Day 1 to 2: notice and planning**

- Confirm the resignation or termination and the final working day in writing
- Notify payroll, IT, security, and the employee's manager
- Involve legal for non-competes, investigations, visas, or separation agreements
- Decide whether the employee works their full notice period or moves to garden leave
- Agree on the announcement message and timing with the employee (team first, then company)
- Open an offboarding ticket with owners and due dates for every task below

**Week 1: knowledge and access inventory**

- List the employee's recurring tasks, active projects, and key internal relationships
- List external contacts (clients, vendors, partners) and plan introductions
- Document undocumented workarounds and "tribal knowledge"
- Assign a named successor or interim owner for every item
- Work with IT to build a full list of systems, SaaS apps, shared logins, and admin rights
- Review any recent role changes that left the employee with more access than they need

**Midpoint of notice period: handover in motion**

- Collect the first draft of the handover document and have the successor review it
- Record screen-share walkthroughs for complex tools and processes
- Schedule shadowing sessions for judgment-heavy work
- Hold joint calls to introduce clients and partners to the successor
- Transfer ownership of files, shared drives, calendars, and recurring meetings

**Final week: legal, pay, and benefits**

- Confirm final paycheck timing under state or local law
- Calculate accrued PTO payout if required by law or policy
- Provide health continuation (COBRA) information and meet notification deadlines
- Explain retirement accounts, insurance, FSA/HSA balances, and equity exercise windows
- Remind the employee of confidentiality, IP, and restrictive covenant agreements
- Finalize any separation agreement after legal review
- Collect a personal email and mailing address for tax forms
- Process final expense reports and reimbursements

**Final week: equipment and exit conversation**

- Send a prepaid return kit to remote employees with a clear deadline
- List all equipment to be returned (laptop, phone, badge, keys, cards, peripherals)
- Schedule the exit interview with someone other than the direct manager
- Ask open-ended questions ("What almost made you stay?")
- Ask whether the employee would like to join the alumni network

**Last day**

- Revoke access to all systems at an agreed time, prioritizing regulated and admin-level systems
- Deactivate shared passwords and rotate credentials the employee knew
- Set up email forwarding or an auto-reply as appropriate
- Confirm all equipment is returned or in transit
- Hold a send-off that suits the person (team lunch, video call, thank-you from a leader)
- Send the alumni invitation and a thank-you note

**After departure (1 to 30 days)**

- Run a second access audit to catch anything missed
- Send a short follow-up exit survey
- Check in with the team about redistributed workload and priorities
- Flag rehire eligibility in the HRIS
- For involuntary exits, complete a hiring and management retrospective
- Add exit feedback themes to your quarterly report to leadership

## **TL;DR**

The best offboarding checklist for HR is the one your managers actually use, so take the free checklist above, tailor it to your organization, and revisit it every six months based on what your exit interviews and access audits tell you.

People will always leave. How that feels, and what it costs, is still up to you.

---

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[Free People Alliance membership: Join the communityJoin 1,000s of HR and people leaders for free. Access expert insights, templates, events & career advice. Your gateway to thriving workplace cultures.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/icon/PA-ICON-38667f0f-13f8-41c0-a926-1ec749dcec0c.png)People AlliancePeople Alliance![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/24/23/2423d333-71de-46b8-81af-b10b80c517c9/content/images/thumbnail/pa-insider-membership-plan-meta-7d1b4188-7ac8-4c09-8c99-d32fdec3c31b.png)](https://www.peoplealliance.com/insider-membership-plan/)