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Employee offboarding is a crucial, yet often overlooked, phase of the employee lifecycle. While most companies double down on onboarding, offboarding is where the real long-term impact lies. It’s the last interaction an employee has with your organization, and that final impression often defines how they speak about your brand afterward.
In 2025, with remote work, data security challenges, and employer branding taking center stage, organizations are rethinking how they say goodbye to employees. The rise of employee offboarding software is playing a big role in this transformation, helping companies streamline exits, protect sensitive data, and gather actionable insights from departing talent.
We’ve curated 68 of the most important statistics that highlight why offboarding deserves just as much attention as hiring or onboarding. Use these data points to evaluate and improve your own offboarding process.
Key Employee Offboarding Statistics in 2025
General Offboarding Statistics
- 70% of organizations now have a formalized offboarding process (SHRM).
- 55% of HR leaders report that poor offboarding has resulted in negative reviews on employer review platforms (Glassdoor).
- 62% of departing employees say they would return to their previous employer if offboarded positively (LinkedIn).
- 48% of HR departments plan to invest in offboarding automation tools (HR Tech Survey).
- 31% of companies consider offboarding to be as important as onboarding (SHRM).
- 23% of companies include offboarding satisfaction in their annual employee engagement surveys (Gallup).
- Nearly 40% of HR leaders feel unprepared to handle complex offboarding situations (Workplace Insights).
- 72% of HR professionals believe offboarding directly impacts employer branding (HR Tech Insights).
- 56% of employees feel their offboarding process reflects their overall experience at the company (Workplace Analytics).
- 49% of companies report that offboarding helps identify internal process improvements (HR Trends).
- 33% of HR teams have implemented exit surveys for all employees (Gallup).
Data Security and Compliance
- 59% of companies experienced a data breach related to poorly managed offboarding (Forbes).
- 85% of IT professionals cite offboarding as a critical time for cybersecurity risks (Cybersecurity Ventures).
- Only 44% of companies ensure that all access rights are revoked within 24 hours of an employee’s departure (Gartner).
- 20% of data breaches involve former employees within six months of departure (Ponemon Institute).
- 92% of companies with robust offboarding processes report fewer data recovery issues (IT Insights).
- 68% of organizations have a checklist for compliance during offboarding (Compliance Today).
- Companies with automated offboarding processes reduce security incidents by 34% (Cybersecurity Today).
- 63% of IT teams feel under-resourced to handle offboarding security needs (IT Survey).
- 78% of HR departments collaborate with IT for secure offboarding (Tech Collaboration Report).
- 35% of companies implement multi-layered authentication as part of their offboarding security protocols (Cyber Insights).
Financial Impact of Poor Offboarding
- Organizations lose an average of $23,000 per improperly offboarded employee due to data and equipment recovery costs (PwC).
- Companies with structured offboarding save 25% on average in post-departure costs (Deloitte).
- Employees who experience positive offboarding are 45% more likely to refer others to the organization (LinkedIn).
- 47% of HR professionals cite cost savings as the main reason for improving offboarding practices (HR Insights).
- 38% of lawsuits involving ex-employees stem from mishandled exits (Legal HR).
- 41% of companies fail to retrieve all company-owned devices during offboarding (Device Management Insights).
- 84% of organizations that streamline offboarding processes report lower legal costs (Corporate Counsel Survey).
- 45% of HR teams note improved retention of institutional knowledge due to enhanced offboarding (HR Knowledge Report).
Employee Experience and Feedback
- 78% of employees say a seamless offboarding process impacts their likelihood to recommend the company as a workplace (LinkedIn).
- 42% of departing employees felt undervalued during their exit process (Gallup).
- Employees who receive exit interviews are 62% more likely to stay connected as alumni (SHRM).
- Only 27% of organizations use exit interview data to improve workplace culture (Workplace Analytics).
- Exit interviews reveal that 34% of employees leave due to management issues (Glassdoor).
- 74% of employees report that timely communication during offboarding improves their overall perception of the company (HR Review).
- Employees who are offboarded through digital platforms rate their experience 18% higher (HR Tech Trends).
- 40% of employees state their offboarding process influenced their willingness to rejoin in the future (Employee Trends).
Knowledge Transfer
- Only 37% of organizations ensure adequate knowledge transfer during offboarding (SHRM).
- 81% of managers find themselves ill-prepared to handle the responsibilities left behind by departing employees (Harvard Business Review).
- 29% of organizations use digital tools for knowledge transfer during offboarding (Workplace Tech).
- Teams that focus on knowledge transfer during offboarding report a 15% reduction in project delays (PMI).
- 46% of companies say knowledge loss is a significant challenge during employee transitions (Workforce Insights).
- Digital tools for knowledge capture increase efficiency by 22% during offboarding (Tech Productivity Report).
- 55% of organizations use mentoring to assist with knowledge transfer during offboarding (Mentorship Today).
Alumni Networks and Employer Branding
- Companies with active alumni programs see a 33% higher rehire rate of former employees (Forbes).
- 61% of organizations now track and engage with former employees as part of their employer branding strategy (LinkedIn).
- Employees who leave on good terms are 70% more likely to recommend the organization (Gallup).
- 15% of alumni rehires bring a new client to the organization within six months (Corporate Alumni Survey).
- 44% of companies use alumni networks to market their brand (Brand Insights).
- Alumni networks contribute to 12% of annual recruitment through referrals (Recruitment Today).
- 48% of HR leaders believe alumni programs strengthen organizational culture (Culture Report).
- 30% of former employees engage with alumni networks through social media platforms (Social Recruitment).
- 41% of HR teams focus on personalized outreach for alumni engagement (HR Engagement Report).
Remote and Hybrid Offboarding Challenges
- Remote employees take 30% longer to complete offboarding compared to on-site employees (Gartner).
- 49% of HR teams struggle to retrieve equipment from remote workers during offboarding (Deloitte).
- Only 36% of remote employees feel satisfied with their offboarding process (Remote Work Survey).
- 58% of remote workers who had poor offboarding cite lack of communication as the primary issue (Remote Insights).
- 39% of organizations now have policies to manage remote offboarding (Policy Trends).
- 22% of remote employees experience delays in receiving their final pay (Payroll Trends).
- 37% of remote employees face challenges returning company-owned devices (Tech Equipment Report).
- 65% of remote workers prefer digital-first offboarding methods (Remote Preferences).
Industry-Specific Insights
- 83% of tech companies prioritize offboarding to secure intellectual property (TechCrunch).
- 67% of healthcare organizations cite compliance as their biggest offboarding challenge (Healthcare IT News).
- Retail and hospitality sectors report the highest rates of incomplete offboarding at 58% (Retail Dive).
- Finance companies see a 28% higher risk of intellectual property theft during offboarding (Finance Today).
- Manufacturing companies report that 42% of exits lack proper handover documentation (Industry Weekly).
- 25% of educational institutions struggle with student-worker offboarding processes (Education Insights).
- 89% of legal firms report successful client transition strategies during offboarding (Legal Trends).
Final Thoughts
The data is clear: investing in robust offboarding processes is not only a best practice but a necessity in 2025. From protecting sensitive information to fostering positive relationships with former employees, offboarding plays a pivotal role in an organization's success. Businesses can build a more secure, positive, and forward-thinking environment by addressing these statistics and insights.
