How Retriever Supports HR Teams During Offboarding

According to a 2025 report by SHRM, 31% of companies consider offboarding to be as important as onboarding. Offboarding might not get the same attention as onboarding, but it absolutely should — especially if your company has a remote or hybrid workforce. When an employee leaves, there’s more at stake than just an exit interview and a final paycheck. You’re responsible for securing data, collecting hardware (like the employee laptop), and making sure no step is missed.

That’s where Retriever comes in. We’re here to help HR teams and IT managers manage the offboarding process in a way that’s secure, efficient, and completely stress-free.  In this post, we’re diving into how Retriever supports HR/IT during the employee offboarding process — from laptop returns to warehousing, redeployment, and even eco-friendly disposal. If offboarding has ever felt like a logistical mess, you’re in the right place.

Why Offboarding Deserves More Attention

Let’s be honest — offboarding an employee usually feels rushed. But the truth is, offboarding is just as important as onboarding when it comes to protecting your company.  One stat that might surprise you: 83% of former employees still had access to company accounts after leaving (Beyond Identity, 2023). That’s a huge liability, especially if a device was never returned or properly wiped.

The employee laptop is often the biggest wildcard. Was it returned? Who's tracking it? Is the data secure? These are questions HR and IT are left scrambling to answer — usually while juggling everything else in the employee offboarding process.  This is why following employee offboarding best practices is so important — and why partnering with a service like Retriever makes a real difference.

The HR Reality: What You’re Juggling During Offboarding

Offboarding isn’t one task — it’s a dozen.  You’re coordinating exit interviews. Handling PTO payouts. Transitioning benefits. Notifying payroll. Deactivating system access. And oh yeah, don’t forget about getting back that employee laptop sitting in another state… maybe.

Remote teams only complicate the employee offboarding process. You're not walking down the hall to pick up a laptop anymore — you're navigating tracking numbers, shipping labels, and inboxes that may or may not be checked.  Retriever exists to take that piece off your plate.

How Retriever Simplifies the Employee Offboarding Process

When offboarding an employee, the last thing you need is a shipping headache. Retriever makes it simple with a step-by-step device return service designed specifically for HR and IT teams.

Here’s how it works:

• We ship a padded laptop return box to the employee.

• Inside: clear instructions and a prepaid shipping label.

• We handle automated follow-ups if the laptop isn’t returned.

• You get real-time tracking in our easy-to-use dashboard.

• Email notifications keep your team in the loop, every step of the way.

And yes — our services are designed to help offboarding go smoothly even if the employee isn’t exactly motivated to return their gear.  By simplifying the employee offboarding process, Retriever helps reduce friction between HR and IT, improves device return rates (We boast a 95% return rate!), and ensures data is secure.

Beyond Returns: Secure Laptop Warehousing & Deployment

Once that employee laptop is back in your hands, what happens next?  If it just sits in a closet, you’re missing out on serious cost savings. That’s why Retriever also offers secure laptop warehousing and redeployment services — so you can make the most of your tech investment.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Laptops are stored in a secure facility, ready for redeployment.

• Devices are inspected, cleaned, repaired if needed, and reimaged with your company’s OS.

• You get complete visibility into your laptop inventory — what’s in storage, what’s in use, and what’s ready to ship out again.

• Our system gives you the power to redeploy devices to new hires with just a few clicks.

This turns your employee offboarding moments into onboarding wins. 🔗 Learn more about warehousing and redeployment

What Happens After Offboarding? Laptop Disposal Done Right

Let’s say the employee laptop you got back is at the end of its life. Tossing it in the trash? Definitely not an option.  Retriever handles secure laptop disposal and data destruction so you don’t have to worry about compliance or security.

• We use Department of Defense (DoD 5220.22-M) and NIST 800-88 standards for data erasure.

• You’ll get a Certificate of Data Destruction — stored securely in your portal.

• We dispose of devices in an environmentally conscious way, in line with global e-waste regulations.

This is all part of supporting employee offboarding best practices. You’re protecting your company, your data, and the planet — all without lifting a finger. 🔗 Explore our data destruction and laptop disposal services

Compliance Without the Headaches

Let’s face it — staying compliant is a full-time job. When you’re offboarding an employee, you need to be thinking about:

• GDPR – The General Data Protection Regulation governs how personal data is collected, stored, and erased, especially for companies with customers or employees in the EU. That includes ensuring data is securely wiped from employee laptops.

• HIPAA – If your organization handles health-related information, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires that data is protected even after an employee leaves — including any patient data stored on their device.

• SOX – The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires strict controls over financial records. During offboarding, this means ensuring that financial data isn’t left exposed on a departing employee’s laptop or system access.

• GLBA – The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act protects consumer financial information. If an employee handled sensitive customer data, proper offboarding helps ensure it’s not left vulnerable.

• Internal audit trails – Companies need a clear record of what happens to assets and data. Retriever’s platform gives you full visibility into every employee laptop return, redeployment, or disposal action, so you’re always audit-ready.

Retriever’s return, redeployment, and disposal services are SOC 2 Type 2 certified. You don’t need to memorize regulations — you just need a partner built to handle them.

Common Offboarding Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

Even well-intentioned teams can slip up during employee offboarding. Here are a few common mistakes we see:

• Missing equipment: Forgetting to collect hardware like the employee laptop.

• Inconsistent checklists: Not having a standardized process leads to missed steps.

• Delayed access revocation: Leaving former employees with login access.

• No documentation: Not having a record of returned items or revoked credentials.

The best way to avoid these issues is by using a structured system — and a partner like Retriever — to handle critical parts of the employee offboarding process. Retriever helps you stay ahead by:

• Automating laptop return shipments and follow-ups so no equipment gets lost.

• Providing real-time tracking and updates so HR and IT stay aligned.

• Offering easy access to reports and audit trails for full documentation.

• Helping enforce consistent, standardized processes across all offboarding cases.

When you have Retriever built into your offboarding workflow, employee offboarding best practices become easier to follow — and a lot less stressful.

What Belongs on Your Employee Offboarding Checklist?

A structured checklist is the best way to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Here are some essentials every HR team should include:

• ✅ Exit interview scheduled

• ✅ Final payroll processed

• ✅ System and tool access deactivated

• ✅ Laptop return initiated

• ✅ Forwarding email set up (optional)

• ✅ Confidentiality reminder shared

• ✅ Certificate of data destruction filed (if applicable)

Retriever supports several of these checklist items — from initiating laptop returns to filing certificates of data destruction after secure disposal. With Retriever, HR & IT can spend less time managing logistics and more time focusing on people.  If you’re looking to adopt employee offboarding best practices, having a checklist like this is a great place to start.

The Importance of HR and IT Collaboration

Effective offboarding is a team sport. HR might own the process, but IT plays a major role in securing systems and recovering assets.  Retriever helps bridge that gap. Our platform:

• Gives both HR and IT access to tracking and return status

• Sends email notifications to everyone who needs to stay informed

• Offers visibility and reporting that makes handoffs smoother

This kind of collaboration is how employee offboarding best practices become standard operating procedure.

Building a Culture of Respectful Offboarding

Last impressions matter. A thoughtful employee offboarding process shows current employees that you value professionalism and respect — even when someone’s leaving.  Retriever makes the process feel structured, secure, and surprisingly smooth. And when exiting employees have a positive experience, they’re more likely to stay an advocate for your company.  That kind of goodwill goes a long way.

The ROI of Streamlined Offboarding

Think offboarding is just another checklist item? Think again. Automating the offboarding process can drastically cut down the number of hours HR and IT teams spend managing employee exits. Now give thought to the number of exits you handle in a year — especially if you’re in a high-churn environment like tech or sales. Retriever helps HR and IT:

• Reclaim hours each week

• Boost employee laptop return rates. (95% for Retriever!)

• Reduce risks around lost hardware and exposed data

• Save money on buying new devices unnecessarily

All while giving you peace of mind that the employee offboarding process is handled.

Managing Offboarding at Scale or Across Geographies

If your company has a distributed workforce or high turnover, offboarding an employee gets even more complex. You may be handling employee exits across multiple states, time zones, or even countries.

Retriever makes it easy to scale offboarding across regions. We currently support teams across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., with expansion into Europe on the horizon. Whether you're dealing with a team of 50 in Toronto or 500 in London, we help you manage offboarding an employee without geographic limitations.  That means no custom logistics, no surprise international shipping issues — just a consistent, trackable process that works at scale.

FAQ: What HR/IT Teams Ask About Offboarding

What is the role of HR in the offboarding process?
HR oversees the entire offboarding experience — from coordinating exit interviews and final pay to ensuring access is revoked and equipment is returned. HR is the central point of contact for policy compliance and smooth transitions.

When an employee leaves an organization, the offboarding process should include?
A proper offboarding checklist includes revoking digital access, retrieving company assets (like the employee laptop), conducting an exit interview, settling final compensation, and transferring responsibilities.

What is the offboarding process?
Offboarding is the formal process of separating an employee from a company. It includes logistical, administrative, and security-related tasks — from equipment collection to deactivating accounts and ensuring a clean handoff.

Who is responsible for employee offboarding?
It’s a team effort. HR typically manages logistics and compliance, IT handles system access and device retrieval, and department managers handle workload transitions. Retriever supports all of them during the process.

What is the role of HR in the termination process?
HR ensures the termination is legally compliant, professionally executed, and aligned with internal policies. This includes clear communication, documentation, and coordination of all post-employment logistics.

Final Thoughts: Offboarding Doesn’t Have to Be a Hassle

Offboarding is never going to be fun — but with Retriever, it can be frictionless. We help HR teams:

• Retrieve employee laptops with less back-and-forth

• Store and redeploy devices efficiently

• Dispose of tech securely and responsibly

Whether you’re dealing with one exit or dozens each month, Retriever helps you stay organized, compliant, and ahead of the curve.  👉 Discover our Laptop Return Services today.