Employee Offboarding Checklist

Lock the last day in the HRIS (Paycom, ADP, UKG) and confirm in writing with the supervisor. Anchor the rest of this run's due dates to that date — nearly every downstream step depends on it.

Voluntary departures use the standard timeline. Involuntary departures (termination, RIF) require same-day badge deactivation and a security escort plan — escalate to the plant manager immediately.

For involuntary departures: pre-stage a box for personal items, brief the EHS lead and front-desk security, and have IT ready to disable accounts at the moment HR delivers the news. Badge swipe should be killed before the employee leaves the conference room.

Walk the matrix: ERP (NetSuite, Epicor, Plex), MES, CMMS, PLM (SolidWorks PDM, Arena, Windchill), customer portals, and any export-controlled (ITAR / EAR) project shares. Flag privileged access (admin, approver, signatory) for warm hand-off, not just revocation.

If the leaver is a setup operator, CMM operator, or weld-certified tech, they're a capacity-constrained resource. Production planning needs to re-level the schedule before the gap hits the cell.

For every open WO assigned to the leaver, capture op number, qty complete, qty remaining, scrap, and any in-process notes on the traveler. WIP without context becomes scrap when the next operator can't reconstruct setup state.

Pull the QMS report (ETQ, MasterControl, Qualio) for any non-conformance or corrective action where the leaver is owner, reviewer, or effectiveness-check approver. Reassign each one — orphaned NCRs that age past 90 days are a common surveillance-audit finding.

Check in any drawings or models the leaver has checked out in PDM. Reassign workflow tasks (ECN approvals, drawing reviews) to a named successor — not a generic group — so audit trails stay intact.

Tribal knowledge — the spindle that runs hot in summer, the fixture clamp that needs an extra quarter-turn, the program offset that's never been written down. Capture this on the actual floor at the actual machine, not in a conference room.

Anything from the machine walk that isn't on the setup sheet gets added (and routed through document control). This is the only step that turns the leaver's experience into permanent process knowledge.

Each operator's LOTO lock is uniquely keyed and tied to them by name. Collect every lock issued (per the LOTO log) and retire them — a missing personal lock left on equipment after termination is an OSHA 1910.147 finding waiting to happen.

Pull the tool crib log (or RFID system for high-value tooling) and walk every check-out with the leaver present. Calibrated mics, pin gauges, and torque wrenches issued personally must come back — replacement cost on a Mitutoyo set runs into thousands.

Hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, FR uniform (if hot-work or arc-flash exposure), steel-toe allowance — recover what's reusable, document what's been retained for sanitary reasons.

Photograph each asset returned with its asset tag visible. Plant-floor tablets and barcode scanners are easy to lose track of because they live on the line — confirm against the IT asset register before signing the form.

Both the leaver and the supervisor sign. Anything missing gets called out here — final pay can be adjusted for unreturned assets where state law allows, but only with a documented inventory.

Disable rather than delete — disabled accounts preserve transaction history (WO postings, inventory moves, quality dispositions) for the audit trail. Reassign any open approvals before disabling so workflows don't dead-end.

Notify the Empowered Official, remove from controlled-data SharePoint or Egnyte sites, revoke project-room badge access, and update the technology control plan (TCP). Foreign-person access controls are the most heavily scrutinized line item in a DDTC audit.

Cover every reader: main entry, shipping/receiving dock, toolroom, server room, hazmat storage. Confirm the deactivation by attempting a swipe at one reader before closing this step.

Forward to the supervisor or successor for 30 days, then disable. Strip the leaver from supplier portals (Coupa, Ariba), customer EDI contacts, and any external distribution lists where they're listed as the buyer or quality contact.

Run by HR — not the direct supervisor — so feedback on management is honest. Probe specifically on shift fairness, overtime mandatory, training adequacy, and any near-misses or safety concerns the leaver didn't report. Themes drive retention work, so categorize them.

Reconcile the final timesheet (including any unposted overtime), accrued PTO per state law, outstanding expense reports, and shift differential. Several states require final pay on the last day for involuntary terminations — confirm against the state wage and hour rule.

Send the COBRA election packet within the 14-day window. Coordinate 401(k) vesting status and any HSA / FSA balances. Confirm life and disability coverage end dates with the broker.

Mark the leaver inactive on the training matrix: HazCom, LOTO, forklift (1910.178), respirator fit-test, customer-specific certifications (NADCAP, AS9100 internal auditor). If they were the sole holder of a certification, flag the gap to the EHS manager.

Move I-9, training records, performance reviews, and disciplinary documentation to the archive per the retention schedule (I-9: longer of 3 years from hire or 1 year from separation; OSHA 300 records: 5 years; medical: 30 years). Update headcount in ERP and the ops dashboard.