You are working for an IC design house. Confidentiality of customer privacy and research and development data is the most concern. Jack, as a disgruntled security administrator, received a new job offer from a company and notified the human resources department of resignation one week before. The HR staff considers it is an unfriendly leave. As a security professional, which of the following will you least likely suggest?
A. Terminate his access to systems immediately
B. Assign him to a restricted area during the notice of resignation
C. Require him to prepare handover documentation
D. Remove him from the offices and ask him to stay home

Kindly be reminded that the suggested answer is for your reference only. It doesn’t matter whether you have the right or wrong answer. What really matters is your reasoning process and justifications.

My suggested answer is C. Require him to prepare handover documentation.

How to manage the unfriendly departure of a disgruntled employee? It is a complicated situation, and this question is designed to trigger more thoughts on this issue.

• From the perspective of security, the first decision is whether to allow the employee to work out through the notice period. If so, assigning him to a restricted area during the notice of resignation is an option. If not, payment in lieu of notice (PILON) or garden leave (to ask him to stay at home) is also feasible.
• Terminating access to systems immediately is common and appropriate.
• The handover arrangement should be taken into consideration. However, the immediate manager or supervisor typically will take care of this, and this issue has fewer security concerns.

Common Practices

• Notice period
  • Pay in lieu of notice
  • Garden leave
• Handover Notes
• Reference
• Exit Interview

References

• What is a notice period? A definitive guide
• The Importance of Handovers for Exiting Employees
• How to deal with the risks of departing employees with a grudge
  • Remind the employee of their contractual obligations.
  • Restricting access and changing employees’ duties.
  • Place the employee on garden leave.
  • Payment In Lieu Of Notice (PILON).
• Guide to Employees Resigning
• When an employee resigns – Checklist: what to do when an employee resigns
  • The process
  • Workers leaving: providing references
• The Importance Of An Extensive Handover When Leaving A Job
• Accepting An Employees Resignation
• When an Employee Quits and You Didn’t See It Coming
• Making Exit Interviews Count
  • Some experts argue that the most productive moment to conduct the initial EI is halfway between the announcement of an intention to leave and the actual departure—after the initial rush of emotion has died down, but before the employee has checked out mentally. Unfortunately, most exit interviews are conducted during the last week of an employee’s tenure, which is probably long after he or she has disengaged.
  • Another effective approach is to wait until after the employee has left the company. “We typically do the exit interview about a month later, and it’s much more relaxed,” says one leader in the auto industry. “This is especially if the person who left was a high potential. They normally tell us very honestly why, and often we respond with programs to work on the problems.”
• The Ultimate Guide for Conducting Effective Exit Interviews
• How to conduct an effective exit interview
• How to conduct an exit interview: Questions to ask and tips
• 6 Exit Interview Best Practices: Tips & Precautions