Offboarding in the right order: what closes when
Access first, hardware later. And always agree in advance when the mailbox closes.
Try this first
- 1Plan offboarding as soon as the leaving date is known, not on the last day. Make a list of every system this person has access to. Without a list, you will forget something.
- 2On the last day: disable the account in your mail tenant. Not delete, disable. That preserves the mailbox for archive and autoreply while login is blocked.
- 3Set an autoreply forwarding senders to a colleague. Keep it active at least three months, ideally six.
- 4Cancel SaaS licences only after the mailbox is disabled. Otherwise invoices keep arriving for an empty seat.
- 5Hardware return at an agreed moment: laptop, phone, keys, badge. Capture it on a short leaving form that both parties sign.
When to bring us in
For a conflict departure or someone with admin rights in your tenant, you want to close faster and keep an audit log. Not distrust, just good housekeeping.
See also
- First IT setup as a freelancer, what do you actually needNot everything at once. One laptop, a mailbox on your own domain, a password manager, a backup. That covers the first year.
- Hiring your first employee, what IT to arrange before day oneLaptop, account, mailbox, access to the right folders. In that order, not all of it at 9 a.m. on day one.
- Moving to a new office, IT checklistInternet and power have the longest lead times. Plan at least three months out, not three weeks.
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