In a small business, setting up a new starter or removing someone who’s left often happens in a rush, around everything else. But rushed onboarding costs time and frustration, and incomplete offboarding leaves live accounts that are a genuine security risk. A simple, repeatable process fixes both.
Onboarding: get them productive on day one
A good new-starter setup means they sit down to a working account, not a day of chasing access.
- Create their account with the right email, licence and group memberships.
- Set up their computer, apps and printers before they arrive.
- Grant access to only the files and systems their role needs — no more.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication from the start.
- Give them a quick orientation on how you work and what’s expected security-wise.
Offboarding: close every door
This is the one businesses most often get wrong. When someone leaves, a forgotten account is a way in for them — or for an attacker who finds it later.
- Disable the account immediately when they finish, rather than deleting it straight away.
- Reset the password and sign them out everywhere.
- Redirect their email to a manager so nothing is missed, and set an auto-reply if needed.
- Reclaim the licence so you stop paying for it.
- Revoke access to shared systems, banking, social media and any third-party apps.
- Collect and wipe their devices.
Why “least privilege” matters
Give people access to what their role needs, and nothing more. It limits the damage if an account is ever compromised, and it makes offboarding far simpler because you know exactly what to switch off.
Write it down once
The real win is turning this into a short checklist you follow every time, so nothing depends on memory during a busy week.
Want a clean, repeatable process for staff joining and leaving — with the security gaps closed? Get in touch and we’ll set it up for your business.