Why Exit Interviews Are Critical for Business Cybersecurity

Imagine a scenario where a sales manager finds a new position with a competitor and hands in their resignation letter. The company’s next move can either put its proprietary data at risk — or ensure a smooth exit that protects the business and its reputation. Disgruntled or exiting employees may feel entitled to keep some of the things they helped create. This is why exit interviews are critical to protect your company’s security.

The right exit interview process prevents misunderstandings and reminds people of their obligations to their former employer. Although explaining the consequences of breaking agreements or stealing information is crucial, a respectful attitude makes a difference in workers’ opinions as they leave their roles.

Here are the top ways to ensure the exit interview process is the best it can be. The right tactics reduce the risk of internal data breaches.

1. Understand Security Issues

One study found employees are more likely to take data just before quitting or if they feel being fired is imminent. There was a 23% increase in nonapproved data transfers and a 109% jump on the day they were fired.

One company laid off 950 employees without warning, locking them out of their accounts. The CEO stated it was a harsh move but necessary to protect customer information.

Knowing the risks allows companies to take immediate action when staff submit resignations.

2. Reiterate Procedures

Take the time to explain exit procedures during the exit interview. While traditional etiquette prefers a two-week notice, people have caught on to the fact that they may be let go immediately. This can mean a few weeks without paychecks, so they don’t always provide much advance notice to protect their pocketbooks.

Since staff might not tell human resources (HR) two weeks out, send out general reminders about exit procedures. HR is responsible for reassuring employees they won’t be terminated immediately and that the brand wants feedback on how to retain them. Put the details in a quarterly newsletter or remind workers during a meeting.

3. Eliminate Access

2025 projections show that global cybercrime will cost businesses $10.5 trillion, a number that increases every year as cybercriminals try to improve their payouts. A crucial way for businesses to protect their data is by making sure the IT department eliminates exiting employees’ access to databases and proprietary information.

The IT department must work proactively with HR. Disgruntled tech-savvy employees may add backdoor entry points to the system and access it after leaving the company. Upon resigning, access to databases and sensitive information should immediately be denied. People who need the information to continue their job may need to work alongside a colleague during that time.

In addition, an entire system scan for vulnerabilities should be completed before and after the person leaves.

4. Inventory Files

A disgruntled employee might destroy files to sabotage the company because they’re angry. Create a policy where each department inventories and backs up files. Frequent backups are a wise move in case of any data breach or system malfunction. Upon exit, examine files to ensure no information was deleted.

Pay particular attention to the departments the departing employee had access to; if needed, review these in the exit interview.

5. Improve Offboarding

Zippia dug into the research on offboarding and came up with a few conclusions every company can learn from. Around 71% of businesses have no set offboarding. Around 20% of companies deal with data breaches from former employees, and the lack of oversight can have serious consequences.

One question to ask toward the end of the offboarding process is if there is anything the company could do to make improvements. Some goodbyes flow better than others, giving both parties closure and a chance to leave on good terms. Carefully review the ones with friction to see how HR might avoid problems in the future.

Even if you cannot retain the employee, a smooth offboarding process can help reduce any ill will the employee may feel that could lead to security breaches.

6. Personalize Questions

Each role in a company is a bit different. Some workers have more responsibilities and access to sensitive data. Others may not work with databases at all. Exit interviews should feature questions personalized to the role someone had in the company.

HR might ask the IT manager about software they installed during their tenure. On the other hand, the janitor may not have access to the computer system and might only need to answer queries about cleaning supplies and if they have suggestions for improvement.

Following exit policies is crucial when determining the reasons workers leave. Refuse to engage in gossip about other employees or company leaders. People might leave because of personality conflicts. Offboarding is the wrong time to solve serious issues, so refer the worker back to the policy and steer the conversation elsewhere.

It might be tempting to vindicate their feelings, particularly if other staff members have complained about the same person, but doing so rarely results in significant or lasting changes.

7. Review Agreements

Reminding employees of their legal agreements can help reduce the temptation of stealing data. Employees may have signed noncompete or nondisclosure agreements when they were hired. Nondisclosure agreements may be easier to uphold since certain proprietary information must be kept secret. Some industries, such as health care, also fall under regulations that protect patients.

Noncompete agreements may soon be something of the past. They may limit former employees from contacting a brand’s clients or opening their own business in direct competition with the company. However, new laws in California may filter into other states and impact the demands companies can make on workers.

California Senate Bill 699 makes contracts that restrain trade unenforceable. Although similar measures failed in New York, California often sets the precedent for the rest of the country. Be aware of which agreements might be null and void and what can legally be requested of former employees.

Go over all agreements, clarify questions and part ways on the best terms possible. Consult with company attorneys before the interview to ensure the process follows laws but provides protection for the brand’s data.

Exit Interviews Set the Stage

As soon as an employee states they are leaving the company, begin the offboarding process to protect data. Eliminate login credentials and add oversight to their work. Invite them to HR to ask pertinent questions about why they’re leaving and how to improve operations. Collect details on what they do that a new person may not know.

The more effort put into seeing the worker off on the next phase of their journey, the better received it will be. People move on to other opportunities, a different location or a better fit. Conduct an exit interview, learn from their loss and wish them well. Not only will these insights improve operations for future employees, but they can also help reduce the risk of security breaches by ensuring the employee leaves on the best terms possible.

Author: Zac Amos is the Features Editor at ReHack, where he has over five years of experience writing about business tech and cybersecurity. His insights are regularly featured on publications like AllBusiness, VentureBeat, and CyberTalk. For more of his work, follow him on Twitter or LinkedIn.