Sometimes a person out grows a business or a role. Sometimes a person gets an offer too good to refuse. Other times a person just is not a good fit for your business. It’s in situations like this that a that we occasionally get asked about what considerations, from a technology stand point, that a business should think about when someone leaves the business, whether terminated or resigned. In this multi-connected, info-at-your-fingertips world we live and operate in, there definitely are a few things you should think about if you find yourself in the situation where a staff member moves on.

It goes without saying that leaving an ex-staff member with access to company information could be less than ideal and potentially even cause some damage to the business and brand if that person decided they weren’t happy with their exit.

With these things in mind, here are a few things to consider should an employee leave your business:

1. Emails – These days, with things like Office 365 and Exchange online, emails just aren’t on one computer. They are on the desktop in the office, they are on the company issued iPad and iPhone, they are on the home PC just in case something comes up that needs that persons’ urgent attention. Unfortunately, stopping someone from taking a copy/backup of an email inbox is difficult if they have a little technical know-how. But there if you happen to be using Microsoft Office 365 / Exchange Online then removing access to this is pretty straight forward and you can stop them from regaining access pretty quickly by using your admin panel and changing their password and blocking their access. This will force a sign in within 60 minutes from any session they are in. It might also be worth putting an email forwarder on and an auto-reply advising the person has left the business and who to contact in their absence.
2. Documents and Files – There are so many different scenarios in which a person might have access to company files and documents and so many variables in which a business manages this. For the most part though, it is going to be a local computer, an in-house server or a cloud-based platform. But documents and files are definitely something to restrict access to once an employee exits a business.
3. Social Media – Is this person an admin on any of the business accounts? These days social media is so connected to other businesses, your clients and your community that this is defiantly something you do not wat to forget as damage to your brand can be done loudly and quickly depending on the format and platform should this person have access after they have left the organisation.
4. Online Business Tools – Did this person have financial control in the business? Secure your MYOB or Xero or other accounting platform. What about your email marketing platform or CRM? What about your Point of Sale (POS) system?
   The best advice outside of the points mentioned above that we can give is to take a step back, think about their job role and what access to what tools they needed to complete their role and responsibilities within it.

Got something to add? Let us know in the comments, or email howdy@vto.net.au. And if you would like help or more personalised advice on the topic, contact VTO – https://vto.net.au.