IT and HR either work well together or take unnecessary risks together. These days, the process of onboarding a new colleague or saying goodbye to one who is leaving is no longer just a matter of HR administration, but also a significant technological and security issue.
Why is collaboration between IT and HR so crucial?
Onboarding and offboarding are highly technology-dependent: systems, access rights, devices, licence management and data protection. If HR and IT are not working in tandem, departing staff may easily retain active access rights, whilst licences may be paid for unnecessarily for those who are no longer with the company.
IT can only operate effectively and securely if it knows in advance who is joining the organisation, what their role will be, and what equipment and access rights they will require. Without this, the first day at work often begins with a rush, ad hoc solutions and a poor employee experience.
Onboarding: don’t let the first day be a chaotic one
Ideally, HR should notify IT of the new employee well in advance of their start date, providing all relevant details: name, role, organisational unit, line manager, start date, and the necessary equipment and systems.
This enables the IT department to order and prepare the devices (laptops, monitors, mobile phones, VPNs, tokens, etc.) in good time, complete with a standard image, encryption, updates and security settings. At the same time, accounts can be set up (AD/IDP, email, collaboration tools, business applications) so that the new colleague can start working productively from day one.
Informing new members: a fundamental requirement for a functioning office
Onboarding should include a structured induction programme delivered in collaboration with IT. This will make it clear to the new colleague that:
- the channels through which you can request assistance (ticket system, email, telephone, internal chat),
- how the technical aspects of the office work (Wi-Fi, printing, meeting room bookings, VPN, password management, basic IT security principles),
- which systems he uses for what purposes and how he uses them in his day-to-day work.
This is not merely a matter of courtesy, but also a question of productivity: an employee who is provided with the necessary tools and information on their first day becomes a genuine contributor more quickly and gains a clearer picture of the organisation.
Offboarding: a structured process, not a case of putting out fires after the event
When an employee leaves the company, poor cooperation between IT and HR can pose specific security and legal risks. A joint, transparent and documented process is therefore essential.
It is the responsibility of HR to notify IT in a timely and accurate manner of any staff departures, including the method and date of departure. Based on this information, IT schedules the revocation of access rights (email, VPN, cloud and internal systems, access cards), as well as the collection and recycling of devices. It also ensures that business-critical data is backed up and transferred, and that access rights are reconfigured.
This prevents former employees from retaining active access, or valuable data from being „left behind” on personal laptops or private storage devices.
Who contributes what to the joint process?
Clear roles and responsibilities form the basis of effective cooperation.
The responsibilities of HR include, amongst other things:
- the timely and accurate reporting of new arrivals and departures to the IT department,
- defining the framework and rules for onboarding and offboarding,
- co-ordinating the relevant parties (management, IT, finance) and ensuring a positive employee experience.
The IT department’s responsibilities include, amongst other things:
- a presentation of the technical options (range of devices, access levels, automation options),
- development of a standardised IT checklist and process for onboarding and offboarding,
- ensuring security and cost-effectiveness (no „zombie accounts”, no unnecessary licences, no orphaned data).
HR determines who joins or leaves the organisation, when, and in what capacity, whilst IT provides the appropriate technical environment and controls to support this. When these two departments work in a coordinated manner, building on each other’s strengths, this not only makes day-to-day operations run more smoothly, but also strengthens the organisation’s security and professionalism.
