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Employee offboarding checklist for small teams: from notice to last day
When someone leaves a small team, a lot of knowledge can walk out the door with them. A simple checklist makes sure the work is handed over, access is closed and the person leaves on good terms.
This guide covers the practical side of offboarding, from the day notice is given to the week after someone leaves. Give every task an owner and a date, the same way you would for onboarding.
Final pay, vacation balances, notice periods, references and what paperwork you must give a departing employee depend on your country, state and the person's contract. This checklist tells you where to check; it does not give rules. It is general organizing help, not legal or HR advice. Check with an employment adviser or HR professional where you are.
Free printable: employee offboarding checklist
Name: ______________ Role: ______________ Last day: ______________
When notice is given
- Confirm the last working day in writing
- Check the contract for notice period and anything else that applies
- Check local rules and the contract for final pay and any unused time off (with an adviser if unsure)
- Agree with the person how and when the team will be told
- Tell the team, and any clients who need to know
- Start the handover plan
During the notice period
- List their regular tasks, projects and contacts
- Name who takes over each one
- Ask them to write short how-to notes for anything only they know
- Move shared files out of personal folders into team folders
- Introduce the new owner to key clients and suppliers
- Schedule an optional leaving conversation
Last day
- Collect equipment: laptop, phone, keys, access cards
- Remove access to email, tools and shared accounts, or schedule it for the end of the day
- Change shared passwords they knew
- Set up an email auto-reply or forwarding, in line with your data protection rules
- Say goodbye properly
After they leave
- Confirm final pay and any paperwork have been handled, as local rules require
- Update the team list, website and org chart
- Check the handover is working after two weeks
- Update the onboarding checklist with anything you learned
Write a handover plan
The most useful offboarding document is a simple table with one row for each responsibility. Start it in the first week of the notice period, not the last.
| Task or project | Status | Where the files are | Key contacts | New owner | Handover date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly client report | Next one due on the 5th | Team drive, Reports | Client contact | ||
| Supplier orders | Ongoing | Ordering spreadsheet | Supplier rep | ||
| Website updates | Two pages in progress | Site editor | Web developer |
Ask the person leaving to walk the new owner through each row, ideally while doing the task for real once. A written note plus one live run is much better than either alone.
Use your onboarding access list
If you kept a list of accounts and equipment when the person started, offboarding is much easier: work down the same list and close or collect each item. If you did not, build one now by checking:
- Email and calendar
- Chat and video tools
- File storage and shared drives
- Project management and design tools
- Finance, payroll and banking tools
- Social media and website logins
- Building access, keys and alarm codes
- Company cards and expense accounts
Keep the finished list. It becomes the onboarding access list for the next person in that role.
If someone leaves at short notice
Sometimes there is no notice period to work with: a sudden resignation, a move or an agreement to finish early. Shrink the checklist to what matters most:
- Ask for a one-hour handover call and record a list of open work, deadlines and contacts during it.
- Move their files into team folders the same day.
- Collect equipment and close access, following the same list as above.
- Tell clients and suppliers who their new contact is.
- Check final pay and paperwork against local rules and the contract, with an adviser if you are unsure.
Then, when things calm down, fill in the gaps in the handover plan with the rest of the team. Note what was missing, because it shows what should be written down for every role, not just this one.
The leaving conversation
An optional conversation in the last week or two can tell you things nobody says in a regular meeting. Keep it short, relaxed and voluntary. Some questions that work:
- What did you enjoy most about working here?
- What would you change if you were in charge?
- What should the next person in your role know?
- Was there anything that made your job harder than it needed to be?
Thank them, listen and do not argue. Write down the themes, not every word, and decide on one thing to act on.
Tips
- Treat every departure with respect. The way someone leaves is remembered by the whole team.
- Do not remove access early without a clear reason. It can feel like an accusation.
- Agree what the team will be told, and when, with the person leaving.
- Keep a short farewell message ready, so the announcement is warm and on time.