Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 60: Personnel

Employee Departure Procedures

BPPM 60.74

Form:  Departure Checklist

Overview

When an employee resigns, retires, dies, or is otherwise separated from employment at the University, the employing department is responsible for ensuring that all applicable personnel, payroll, computing, financial, facility, property, and safety-related procedures are completed.

In order to facilitate this process, departments are to document the completion of required items, either by using the Departure Checklist included with this section or a departmental checkout document. The Departure Checklist includes items that are to be completed prior to or immediately after the departure of an individual from department or University employment.

This list is not all inclusive and a department may have additional requirements. The department attaches notation of the completion of any additional departure requirement to the Departure Checklist or includes the information on a departmental checkout document.

Responsibility

The employee’s supervisor is responsible for completing and/or reviewing each of the applicable departure items. In some departments, the department’s personnel officer is responsible for completing the personnel/payroll departure items, e.g., personnel actions, time and absence calendars (see Personnel/Payroll).

Form Completion and Approval

To ensure that all departure procedures are completed, the supervisor enters the date each item is completed on the Departure Checklist.

The supervisor, and the departing employee, when applicable, sign the completed Departure Checklist.

Retention

The department retains the completed checklist in the department’s employee file. See BPPM 90.01 for retention requirements.

Checklist Items

Items to be completed by the department or the employee at the employee’s departure are listed below by category. Note: Depending on the employee’s responsibilities, only some of these items may be applicable.

Leaving the Department

If the employee is leaving the department, but remaining a University employee, the department completes only the items indicated in Part A (below).

Leaving the University

If the employee is leaving the University, the department completes the items indicated in Part A and also completes the items indicated in Part B (below).

Principal Investigator Leaving

If the employee leaving the University is a principal investigator (PI), the department completes the items indicated in Part A, Part B, and Part C (below). A principal investigator is defined as the senior member of a research team, i.e., the individual with primary responsibility for the design and conduct of a research study.

Part A

The department completes the items in Part A if the employee is leaving the department, but remaining a University employee.

Personnel/Payroll

Complete the following steps related to personnel and payroll:

  • Complete a job change through Workday. See the Workday Change Job reference guide. Note: If the employee is transferring to another department within the University, the receiving department processes the job change.
  • Send the employee’s time or leave reports (signed paper copies prior to Workday processing) to the new department or HRS.
Financial

Complete the following steps related to financial accounts and activity:

  • Remove the employee’s name from University department bank accounts (see BPPM 30.65).
  • Cancel the employee’s departmental purchasing card (see BPPM 70.08).
  • Obtain and reconcile any cash advances issued to the employee (see BPPM 40.21).
  • Remove the employee’s name from any till or petty cash fund (see BPPM 30.50 and 30.51).
  • Remove the employee’s toll call authorization and obtain any calling cards (see BPPM 85.41).
Approval Authority

Complete the following steps related to any approval authority the employee may have:

  • Remove the employee’s expenditure authority.
  • Remove the employee’s appointing authority (see BPPM 60.10).
  • Remove the employee’s authorization to approve travel (see BPPM 95.01 and 95.05).
  • Remove the employee’s authorization to approve contracts (see BPPM 10.10).
Information Services

Complete the following steps related to information services the employee has access to:

  • Remove the employee’s access to departmental personal computer accounts, including those which allow remote access to departmental resources.
     
    For Windows personal computers, notify department Information Technology Services (ITS) staff to remove the employee’s Network ID from authorization groups that grant access to departmental resources.

    For Macintosh personal computers, update personal computer passwords to discontinue the employee’s access.

  • Update accounts and passwords for departmental network and systems access.
  • Update any associated websites.
  • Remove the employee’s authorization to access student and/or financial data warehouse and/or other enterprise systems (e.g., OPDRS). Contact the Crimson Service Desk for assistance; telephone 509-335-4357.
  • Update the active telephone listings in Information Technology Services (ITS), the department, and in Workday.
     
    Note: If the employee is leaving the University, remove the employee’s name from active telephone listings in ITS and the department.
Workday Roles

If the employee is transferring to another department within the University, the department must submit role change requests in Workday to remove authorizations for the employee to use Workday functions associated with the department’s accounts.

Note: Within 24 hours of the employee’s separation from the University and upon verification from HRS, ITS automatically removes authorizations to Workday.

RONet Applications

An employee leaving the University should close their Registrar’s Office Network (RONet) account by performing the following steps:

  1. Log into RONet
  2. Select Your Account
  3. Select Close

If the employee is transferring to another department where RONet is needed, the employee should access their RONet account and deselect any applications that are no longer needed.

Alternatively, the department may provide notification to the Registrar’s Office of the employee’s separation from the department or University by sending an e-mail to eit.helpdesk@wsu.edu.

Registrar’s Office Actions

Upon notification from the employee or department of the employee’s separation from the University, the Registrar’s Office:

  • Removes the employee’s RONet account authorizations.
  • Disables the employee’s RONet account.
  • Removes the employee’s administrative access to registration and academic planning and records applications through the myWSU portal.
Records Management

Complete the following steps related to business records the employee is responsible for:

  • Transfer all University records to the employee’s successor or the department records coordinator (see BPPM 90.01).
  • Locate and secure all records which are subject to litigation holds and open public record requests (see BPPM 90.12 and 90.05).
Facilities/Property

Complete the following steps related to University facilities and property the employee is responsible for:

  • Obtain all keys and key cards to offices and buildings which were issued to the employee.
  • Obtain all University equipment, e.g., tools, computer equipment, portable electronic devices, reference materials, software, that were issued to the employee.
  • Ensure that office, laboratory, and locker spaces are left clean and all of the employee’s personal items are removed.
  • Obtain all research data, including research log books.
Safety

Complete the following steps related to workplace safety:

  • Complete and route a Departure Notice if the employee worked with radiation machines, radioactive materials, hazardous chemicals, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substances, and/or biohazardous materials (see BPPM 60.38).
  • Receive a termination bioassay if the employee used radioactive materials or radiation machines (see SPPM 9.50).
  • Obtain the radiation monitoring badge if the employee used radioactive materials or radiation machines (see SPPM 9.30).
  • Receive final surveillance documentation if the employee worked with chemical carcinogens.

Part B

If the employee is leaving the University, the department completes the items indicated in Part B below, as well as the items in Part A. (If the employee is a principal investigator, the department also completes Part C (see Part C below.)

Personnel/Payroll

Complete the following steps related to personnel and payroll:

  • Have the employee contact vendor agencies, e.g., credit union, Transportation Services to stop any automatic payroll deductions. Deductions that are not stopped prior to termination are withheld from the employee’s remaining paycheck (see BPPM 55.49).
  • Have the employee notify applicable committees and boards of his or her departure from the University.
  • Refer the employee to the Washington Employment Security Department for unemployment benefits information.
     
    See RCW 50.20.140.
Financial

Complete the following steps related to financial accounts and activity:

Obtain the employee’s University travel charge card (see BPPM 95.03).

Information Services

Complete the following steps related to information services the employee has access to:

  • Cancel the employee’s UNIX accounts (see BPPM 85.37).
  • Cancel the employee’s e-mail and calendar accounts.
  • Update the employee’s status for CougarCard (see BPPM 10.08).
Facilities/Property

Obtain the employee’s parking permit and garage access card, if applicable.

Contact Information

Complete the following steps related to the employee’s contact information:

Part C

If the employee leaving the University is a principal investigator (PI), the department completes the items indicated in Part C below, as well as the items in Part A and Part B.

Sponsored Projects

Complete the following steps related to sponsored projects:

  • Transfer responsibility for the employee’s grants to their new employer or complete a change of principal investigator for the grants. See ORSO Guideline #3 and IACUC Resources.
  • Complete disposition of the employee’s contracts and subcontracts. See the ORSO Guidelines and IACUC Resources.
  • Review all outstanding invoices with Sponsored Programs Services for charges applicable to the employee’s grants and contracts.
Facilities/Property

Complete the following steps related to University facilities and property the employee is responsible for:

Safety

Complete the following steps related to workplace safety:

  • Complete disposition of biological materials. See SPPM 4.24 and 5.40, and Office of Research Assurances Biosafety.
  • Complete the transfer or disposal of radioactive materials. See SPPM 9.50, 9.60 and 9.70
  • Complete disposal of chemical wastes. See SPPM 5.66.
  • Complete disposition of other hazardous materials. See BPPM 20.77, and SPPM 5.40 and 5.66.
  • Complete and submit an Area Evaluation/Release form (see BPPM 60.38) to the Radiation Safety Office and/or Environmental Health and Safety, as applicable. Note: Failure to submit the form may result in fees incurred by the vacated department.
Intellectual Property

Complete transfer of technology and intellectual property. See Executive Policy Manual EP27 and Faculty Manual Section IV. If software was developed, see also EP8.

Research

Transfer permission to conduct research with human subjects group to the employee’s successor. See the Institutional Review Board.

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Revisions:  December 2020 (Rev. 559); July 2019 (Rev. 533); Sept. 2015 (Rev 455); Feb. 2012 (Rev. 392); Dec. 2010 (Rev. 371); June 2010 (Rev. 360); Feb. 2008 – new policy (Rev. 316).