Key Takeaways:
Onboarding sets the tone. A structured, well-prepared onboarding process creates a positive employee experience, accelerates productivity, and reinforces your organization’s professionalism.
SOPs drive consistency and security. Documented standard operating procedures ensure HR, IT, and managers align on responsibilities, prevent missed steps, and protect sensitive data with proper access controls.
Offboarding is equally critical. Clear, documented offboarding procedures safeguard company assets, remove access promptly, and protect intellectual property—minimizing risk and maintaining business continuity.
Starting a new job is one of the most anxious moments in a professional’s career. Even your most confident new hire walks in on Day 1 wondering if they made the right choice. Now picture this: they arrive, and there’s no computer waiting for them. No login credentials. No schedule. Managers scramble to track down equipment. HR tries to keep them engaged while IT works behind the scenes to get access set up. Training is delayed. Productivity stalls. And in billable roles, revenue is lost.
That first impression doesn’t just inconvenience the employee -- it sends a message. It signals that the organization lacks preparation, doesn’t have strong processes in place, and may not take the role seriously. From the executive seat, you know that’s not the culture or reputation you want to project.
Now imagine the opposite.
The new hire arrives, and their laptop is ready. They log in successfully on their first try. Their Day 1 schedule is mapped out with introductions, department overviews, and structured training. From the start, they see an organization that is prepared, values their contribution, and runs on process. Their energy goes into learning and contributing, not waiting.
When onboarding works, it becomes a driver for the entire business.
As leaders, you set the tone for how your organization operates. Onboarding and offboarding are not just HR or IT tasks, they are cross-departmental processes that directly impact employee experience, operational efficiency, and ultimately your bottom line.
A strong onboarding program starts with a documented standard operating procedure (SOP) that outlines each step, assigns responsibility, and ensures consistency. With a written process, there’s no confusion about who owns which tasks—and onboarding works every time.
The process typically begins with HR. HR notifies IT of the new hire’s start date and shares all required information at least two weeks in advance. This lead time allows IT to prepare devices, create accounts, configure access, and ensure everything is ready before Day 1.
But contact details alone aren’t enough. IT also needs to know the specific level of access the role requires. This information drives which applications are installed, which credentials are created, and how permissions are configured. Following the principle of least privilege access—only granting users the access they need to perform their job—helps reduce security risks and prevents accidental or unauthorized exposure of sensitive data.
A standardized form or template for passing this information from HR to IT ensures nothing gets overlooked. It removes guesswork, minimizes errors, and keeps the setup process on schedule while maintaining strong security practices.
When these details flow smoothly, IT can follow a reliable, almost turnkey process. But when steps are missed, the experience quickly breaks down. Key areas to consider include:
Onboarding is not a single department’s responsibility. It’s a cross-functional process that requires HR, IT, and managers to coordinate weeks in advance. When properly documented and executed, onboarding sets your employees (and your organization) up for long-term success.
Onboarding is only half the story. Offboarding is just as critical. When an employee departs, you need clear, documented procedures to protect your business and maintain continuity. An effective offboarding process should:
Skipping or rushing these steps doesn’t just create inefficiencies, it exposes your organization to serious cybersecurity, compliance, and reputational risks. And at the executive level, those risks are too costly to ignore.
This is why standard operating procedures (SOPs) are non-negotiable. They safeguard your reputation, protect sensitive data, and ensure employees start—and end—their journey with your company on the right note.
At Proper Sky, we build processes that are efficient, secure, and people-focused. That’s IT the Proper Way. Contact us today to strengthen your onboarding and offboarding lifecycle.