Before leaving a job, keep business records in approved work systems and retrieve personal files only through an employer-approved process. Start early: ask who will receive your work, what personal files you may retrieve, and when your access will end. Do not assume that a file is yours to take because you created it, or that a work account will remain available after your last day.
1. Ask about offboarding before you move anything
Contact your manager or HR to confirm the device return date, the person who will take over your work, where business records belong, and how you may retrieve personal files. Ask whether IT needs to supervise an export or remove work data. If you need pay, benefits, or other personal employment records after departure, ask HR or the employer’s privacy contact how to request them.
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Rules vary with your employer, device ownership, employment terms, and jurisdiction. If a file’s status is unclear, ask before copying, deleting, or transferring it.
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2. Inventory likely storage locations
Make a list of where work and personal information may be stored without moving files yet. The Government of Canada’s departure and transfer guidance covers digital storage, email, devices, removable media, and physical records.
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- Work email, including archives and attachments
- Local computer folders and shared network drives
- OneDrive or another employer-managed cloud account
- Removable drives and other storage media
- Work and personal phones used for work
- Paper files, notebooks, and other physical records
As you review, classify items as business-value, transitory, personal, or uncertain. Treat mixed items—for example, a personal message containing work information—as uncertain until the employer tells you how to handle them.
3. Hand over business records in approved work systems
Move business-value documents, email, messages, datasets, photographs, and notes to the employer’s approved repository. Identify the next custodian and make sure they have the access needed to continue the work. Explain where important material is and any context needed to understand it. The Government of Canada advises departing employees to transfer business-value information, identify an appropriate trustee, and obtain approval for information they want to take; this is Canadian government guidance, not a universal rule for every workplace.
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Do not copy company or client material to personal email, cloud storage, or a removable drive simply because you created or used it. For uncertain files, get a decision from your manager or records-management or IT contact before taking action.
4. Retrieve personal files through an approved route
If family photos, a personal résumé, or personal contact information are stored on a work device or in a managed account, ask HR or IT how to retrieve them. Avoid bulk exports or other methods that bypass employer controls. If a file or email mixes your personal information with business information or another person’s details, ask whether it can be reviewed or redacted rather than assuming you can take the whole item.
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In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office explains that an access request concerns the requester’s personal information and that the context of an email can matter. Its employer guidance is marked as under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the current process with the employer’s privacy contact: ICO subject access request guidance for employers.
5. Request personal employment records before access ends
Ask HR or the privacy contact for records you may need later, such as pay or benefits information, before your work account is closed. The UK Government says employees can ask for a copy of information an employer holds about them and gives a 30-day response period in that UK-specific guidance: Personal data an employer can keep about an employee. That period is not a general deadline for other countries. The right to obtain records, its scope, and response times depend on applicable law and the employer’s process.
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6. Confirm account and device cleanup
Work account or company-owned device
Ask when sign-in will be blocked, what mailbox or file handover is required, and whether retention rules or a hold apply. Microsoft’s administrator guidance describes blocking access, saving mailbox content, handling mobile devices, and transferring access to OneDrive or Outlook data: Remove a former employee: overview.
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Personally owned device used for work
Coordinate with IT to remove work access and organization-specific data while preserving your personal material. Canadian Centre for Cyber Security guidance recommends selective wiping where possible and says a full wipe should not be done without the user’s consent. Device-management capabilities and legal expectations vary, so confirm the method with the device owner and employer: End user device security for BYOD deployment models.
7. Get a handover and cleanup confirmation
Before your final day or device handover, confirm with your manager or IT contact that business records have a named custodian, the recipient has appropriate access, personal-file retrieval is complete, and the agreed cleanup has been handled. Do not rely on a deadline from another employer, country, or software configuration; verify the procedure that applies to your situation.
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