3 Ways to Keep Your Business Secure When Employees Leave

Turnover happens in the business world. It’s just a matter of when and how often it happens, as well as how your organization responds to it. If your company fails to address certain parts of the turnover process, it could have negative consequences that must be addressed. We’ve put together three ways that you can be sure former employees do not cause you trouble when they leave, particularly in regards to staffing and cybersecurity.

Understand Why They Are Leaving

The first step toward taking appropriate steps to secure your business is to understand why the employee is leaving. Are they feeling frustrated for some reason? Did they get a better offer that you can’t compete with? Were they potentially hired by one of your competitors? Knowing these things will help you gauge whether or not the employee will pose a threat upon departure, as well as revisit particular aspects of your business that might prevent turnover in the future.

Are There Hard Feelings?

While it’s not particularly likely to happen, it goes without saying that an employee with a sour attitude toward your business might use what they know to negatively influence you after departure. This is why it’s incredibly important to clear the air before employees leave, especially if they are a known agitant within your ranks. Take the time to sit down with the employee and learn more about them, why they are leaving, and resolve any unaddressed issues that might be lurking just below the surface. Employees who know that their frustrations are valid and validated will be less likely to act in the way addressed above.

Remove Access to Important Data and Accounts

A recent article by TechRepublic reported that one in four employees still have access to accounts and data after leaving their positions with a company or organization. This is obviously not okay, as employees who are simply not okay with leaving your organization, such as those who are terminated, might be tempted to log into their accounts and cause a little trouble before letting the door hit them on the way out. To this end, it is incredibly important that you document all of the accounts that your employees set up and which data they can access. You can then revoke those privileges after they are officially gone.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to delete these accounts right off the bat; you might still need data hosted on their desktops or in their cloud storage. It should suffice to just deactivate the account and hand over privileges to access said data to someone else within your organization who will need it.

Even if you do not suspect that any employees who leave your office might have ill intentions, it is still best to monitor those accounts and ensure that they are not being accessed in ways that seem suspicious. After all, threats can come from the most unlikely places. If you are looking to secure your network and ensure your organization is protected, reach out to Omega Technical Solutions at (703) 743-3056.