Since so much of every business’s work is now wrapped up in IT, onboarding and offboarding have become processes rather than simple formalities. At the beginning of an employee’s tenure with the company, they need to be woven into the fabric of the business, and when someone leaves, for whatever reason, the fabric must be unpicked. Both processes need to be carried out carefully and seamlessly.
Securing Company Data When an Employee Leaves
The circumstances of someone’s leaving can vary widely, but are usually perfectly harmonious. Removing them from the picture is not a sentimental matter; it is purely practical, just like having them hand in their keys. With IT being such a sensitive area and with so much security relying on it, some passwords need to be changed, for instance. There are email, CRM and cloud storage accounts to be deactivated. These measures are to prevent unauthorised access, although, like the keys, you are not suggesting you think they will try.
The transfer of responsibilities – sometimes referred to as knowledge transfer – from the outgoing to the incoming employee should be started in advance, with the IT crew playing their part in making sure the new person can hit the ground running.
For compliance and legal reasons, it is advisable to back up all the information you have about the work the outgoing employee has done while in your employ. In the event of any legal action on their part against you, you will need proof to counter any claims they may make.
In addition to any physical keys to be collected, there may be company phones, laptops and other devices, plus security tags, badges and so on. You may wish to wipe any devices, removing all information and restoring them to their original state via a factory reset. This may be possible to do remotely.
These measures add up not just to a lot to remember but a long list of technological processes to accomplish, and may be better handled by an external IT firm visiting your premises.
Setting up New Hires for Success With Day-One Tech Ready
‘Hitting the ground running’ is the kind of expression that can make mundane work sound glamorous, and there is nothing wrong with that. Your business needs to undergo a seamless transition when postholders change. There will probably be work to do to bring the new person up to speed with your methods and processes, so it will help greatly if at least the technological side of it is taken care of.
Just as you have taken the devices and access privileges from the departing individual, so you will need to issue them to the new arrival. IT security and multi-factor authentication information will need to be taught and remembered that your operation will have perhaps small but significant differences from the way things are done elsewhere.
Hardware Tracking and Asset Management
Hardware tracking is something that may become more noticeable when a new employee is inducted. It can keep tabs on physical IT assets and equipment via QR codes, barcodes, RFID, or GPS. In such cases, this can be a good opportunity to assess how you are set up in this respect and to purchase new software if things are somewhat lacking.
Standardising Software Access Across the Team
Similar to the hardware tracking, offboarding/onboarding can present the perfect moment to assess how accessible the relevant software is to every member of the team who needs it. While you are ensuring everything is set up well for the newcomer, you can make sure all is good for the existing staff, too.
For a seamless device setup and professional onboarding support, contact Nerds 2 You to ensure your team is properly equipped from day one.
