Imagine This
An employee comes into work, goes to log-in at his workstation only to be alerted that his password is incorrect. His email isn’t coming through on his phone. He walks to his boss’s office to notify him of the issue.
He was going to be let go. Except the boss didn’t have that “meeting” scheduled until 11.
Staff changes are tough. There is the onboarding process and all of the stress associated with getting a new employee up to speed on the office, clients, and technology needs.
Then there’s the firing process. A former employee who still has access to a company’s network and proprietary corporate data is a security threat. Not only is it emotionally difficult but on the data security side, it’s important to ensure that access to vital information is properly restricted at an appropriate time.
What steps should you take to coordinate human resources needs with your information technology support?
Hiring
Devices
Technology needs vary by position. Understanding those needs helps you to anticipate the employees first day.
Needs
- Mobile Device
- Laptop (PC or Mac)
- Desktop
- Additional Monitors
Relevant applications
Accountants need Quickbooks. Everyone needs Microsoft Office. With this in mind, having that step to an employees onboarding lets their focus be where it’s needed.
Bonus: If multiple log-ins are used across the business, applications like 1Password act as a team vault for your passwords. This can be useful for new hires with multiple logins but needs set up securely as it stores sensitive information.
Similarly, IT support can have the employee’s email account created for them. The employee should really only have to type a password and be on their merry way.
Extra step? Bookmark their email login in their browser.
Firing
As we pointed out earlier, termination can be tricky. It’s a fine balance between respect for the employee you are letting go and protection from disgruntled employees erasing valuable work.
Communication
It is important that your company make note of who is responsible for notifying IT of the restrictions. When working with an internal IT department, make sure that only senior IT personnel are notified of the termination.
Timing
Timing is everything. With meetings scheduled for terminations, your IT support can cut access to vital documents in the time allotted during the meeting.
Give your IT team 48 hours notice of the termination and tell them who and when. Make sure to double-check that the information is correct.
Remote access
VPNs and remote desktops are forms of how an employee accesses their work network. That access is managed when the user account is created, disabled, or removed. In the case of a termination, access is revoked during the coordinated window.
Repurposing devices
After a termination, properly wipe any devices to make sure there is no remaining information from a previous employee. This way devices can be repurposed for future employee use.
How ITonDemand Handles It
Through our client portal, clients can submit requests to both add and remove users. Adding and removing users can be discreet, coordinated, and organized with the right IT partner.
