Termination Checklist

The following checklist will help guide you through the various actions to take when an employee leaves Fictional University. As soon as you are aware of and/or receive a letter from an employee that notifies you of the employee's intention to terminate employment, notify the Human Resources office. Contact HR immediately if there are any problems or questions concerning the employee's return of University property.


University Property ________________________________
-Retrieve building and other keys (including keys to University-owned vehicles)
-Retrieve and/or disable electronic access cards
-Retrieve University ID card
-Retrieve University credit cards (e.g., American Express card)
-Verify that employee has returned all University property (e.g., cell phone, pagers, laptops, University-provided clothing, tools, equipment)
-Arrange return of portable computer terminals and related equipment not at the employee’s University work location
-Retrieve any other University property
-Ensure that the employee leaves all University reference materials (e.g., department files, manuals, computer files)
-Verify that the employee has returned all materials borrowed for work purposes from the University Libraries System or Coordinate Libraries

Financial __________________________________________
-Verify that travel advance/expense report balances equal zero; make sure any outstanding expense reports are submitted for payment
-Verify that any emergency loans have been fully repaid; if not, arrange for the balance to be paid
-Verify that all Petty Cash reimbursements for the employee are completed
Payment of money owed the employee: Any unpaid expenses for company business purposes (turned in on an expense report), unpaid commission and bonuses will be paid in the final pay check.
-Confidentiality and Non-compete Agreements
-Cancel University credit cards, phone credit cards and telephone authorization code (if applicable)
-Cancel financial read and signature authority
-Cancel Petty Cash authority
-End paylines in Oracle Labor Distribution
-Complete Vacation Accrual Funding Form, if necessary.

Computer/Phone ______________________________________
-Cancel accounts (e.g., Eudora)
-Cancel or transfer phone lines
-Disconnect or transfer University paid utilities maintained at the employee’s home (e.g., DSL lines)
-Close personal computer accounts
-Change password on any shared computer account
-Remove access to departmental computers and systems, including Local Area Networks

Other Important Items _________________________________
-If employee has resigned, obtain letter of resignation (or confirm oral resignation in writing)
-Ensure completion of employee’s final timesheet/leave record
-Make final paycheck available on the employee’s last day of work
-Schedule Confidential exit interview: Exiting employees are encouraged to participate in a confidential exit interview with the Human Resources department. (Exit interviews are an important process you can use to gather information regarding the working environment in your organization. When notified that an employee is terminating employment, your HR office will schedule an exit interview. All information gathered is confidential and is reported periodically in summary form.
-Refer the employee to Benefits for any benefits issues
-Provide employee with brochure “When You Leave Fictional University”
-Review of confidentiality or non-compete agreement: Any confidentiality agreement or non-compete agreement that the exiting employee signed when commencing employment should be reviewed to make certain the employee understands what is expected.
-Ensure that employee’s home address and phone number (as listed in Fictional University files) are correct so that W-2’s will be mailed to the appropriate address
-Refer the employee to Transportation Services for a possible prorated refund on a parking permit
-Notify Fictional University’s Unemployment Insurance administrator, FAX 919-999-8844, Tel. 888-999-9242.
-If employee is on H-1 visa status, notify Employee & Labor Relations (5 1087) to insure compliance with special requirements (e.g., notify INS; make necessary arrangements for one way ticket to employee’s country of origin if employee is involuntarily terminated; etc.)
-Terminate employee in Payroll/HR system
-Deactivate University ID and PIN
-Remove employee’s name from distribution and phone lists
-Cancel or transfer University-paid subscriptions and memberships in professional organizations
-Communicate departure of employee to staff


Employee __________________________
Supervisor _________________________
Department ________________________
Date of Separation ___________________

(Fictional University is a non-existent entity created for the purposes of this blog. The form above was adapted from a Stanford University termination checklist, available here: http://hrweb.stanford.edu/elr/forms/TERMINATION%20CHECKLIST11.doc and an employment ending checklist available here http://humanresources.about.com/od/whenemploymentends/a/end_employment.htm. All changes made by Brian Moynihan)