Extract from Zapproved’s article “5 Steps to Protecting Ediscovery Data When an Employee Exits”
Businesses are facing more uncertainty around talent and employee management than ever before. Whether it’s challenges around working from home, employee burnout, the “Great Resignation,” or the threat of recession-fueled layoffs, it’s not easy to chart the best course for your people.
Even when they leave the company.
Exiting or terminated employees can be a major risk if you don’t have a thorough plan in place for their exit and the transition of their responsibilities. This is especially the case if they are active custodians for open matters. There’s always a risk that terminated employees will take or destroy sensitive data, but custodians that leave may also delete or damage important evidentiary data—and that can have a huge impact on the outcome of pending litigation.
Your legal and ediscovery teams should be a big part of the exiting process for a number of reasons. They’ll help you:
- Keep data and intellectual property safe from the risk of theft
- Improve data quality and data literacy across business units
- Preserve and collect relevant data for legal matters for better litigation outcomes
- Increase the defensibility of your process and reduce the risk of spoliation
Here are the five steps your ediscovery team should take to support a smooth transition for exiting employees and protect data across your organization.
