Employee departures are a normal part of running a business, but they also present unique security risks. A thoughtful offboarding process is essential for small business cybersecurity, helping organizations protect sensitive information while ensuring a professional transition for everyone involved.
When an employee leaves, it’s important to understand what actions can put your business at risk. Be sure to stress the following points to all employees, departing or otherwise:
- Company data is not personal property. Company files, customer information, passwords, and proprietary documents remain the property of the business, even if the employee created or regularly accessed that information. Removing or continuing to use this type of information may be considered a violation of company policy, a breach of contract, or even a criminal offense.
- Never take business information with you. Downloading or saving business information for personal use or future employment is never appropriate. This includes downloaded documents or contact lists, copied source code, or saved internal materials. Keeping company data can be considered a crime, even if the employee feels the information is harmless or may be relevant to future work they do.
- Think twice before using personal accounts. Personal accounts typically lack the robust protections and controls of company accounts. Forwarding files to personal email accounts or storing them in private cloud services can expose sensitive information and violate company policies, regardless of the former employee’s intentions.
- Leave files exactly as they are. Deleting documents, emails, or other business records before leaving can disrupt operations and result in the loss of valuable information. Employees may be attempting to do the company a favor by “tidying up” before they depart or may be operating with malicious intent. Either way, intentional deletion of company data can be interpreted as destruction of company property and may carry criminal liability.
- Respect access boundaries. Logging into company email, networks, or cloud platforms after employment ends without authorization may have serious legal consequences. In fact, this is one of the most common situations that leads to legal action against a former employee.
- Keep confidential information confidential. General skills and experience are naturally going to transfer, but confidential business information should never be shared or used to benefit another organization. Utilizing proprietary data, customer lists, or specific strategies to benefit a new employer exposes both the employee and the new employer to legal risk.
- Honor your ongoing obligations. Non-disclosure agreements, employment contracts, and intellectual property protections often remain in effect after employment ends. Departing employees should refamiliarize themselves with these agreements, seeking clarity when needed, before assuming they can retain or reuse any data or materials.
Addressing these risks through clear policies and secure offboarding procedures is an important part of small business cybersecurity and helps protect both the business and its employees.
Best Practices for a Professional Employee Departure
A professional exit benefits everyone involved. Return all company-owned devices, transfer work files appropriately, provide requested passwords or documentation, and confirm that company data has been removed from personal devices or accounts. If there’s any uncertainty about data ownership, ask before copying, sharing, or deleting files.
Legal and Career Implications
Improperly handling company information after employment can lead to legal action, financial penalties, and long-term damage to a person’s professional reputation. Respecting contractual obligations and following established offboarding procedures demonstrates integrity while supporting small business cybersecurity and helping businesses safeguard the information that keeps their operations secure.
Have questions about employee offboarding and cybersecurity for your small business? Reach out to us to start a discussion.