Should a Business Rekey Locks After Employee Turnover?

When should a business rekey locks after employee turnover?

Base the choice on what the person could open and what your records show. A friendly departure doesn't remove a gap in key control. The same review applies when a vendor contract ends or a tenant moves out.

Start with the doors reached by that person's key. A stockroom key calls for a different scope than a master key that opens several areas. Have the locksmith confirm which locks are affected before approving the work.

If every issued key is accounted for and copying was controlled, assess the remaining risk rather than replacing all hardware by default. If access records are incomplete, don't treat a verbal assurance as proof that access has ended.

Collect keys and cancel other access

NIST's personnel termination guidance calls for revoking access and retrieving keys, ID cards, and building passes. It's written for organizations handling controlled government information, but these closeout steps are useful for a small business too.

1. Make an access list. Record each door and the keys, cards, codes, or remotes used there. Include side entrances, gates, and shared spaces.
2. Collect issued items. Ask for door keys, badges, cards, and remotes. Keep a note of what's missing.
3. Cancel electronic access. Disable the departing person's badge and change shared codes they knew. Check separate alarm and gate systems rather than assuming a door change covers them.
4. Keep needed access working. Identify staff and vendors who still need entry so the reset doesn't leave them unable to work.

Replace hardware that isn't fit to keep

Choose replacement when inspection shows the existing hardware is damaged, worn out, or unsuitable for the door. Commercial lock replacement changes hardware rather than only changing the key that operates it.

Tell the locksmith about a loose handle, visible damage, or a door that won't latch. Those symptoms need a check of both the lock and the door. Changing which key works won't fix every closing problem.

Decide what you need the door to do before buying parts. Replacement hardware must fit the door and support its entry and exit use. A different lock isn't automatically a better choice.

Consider managed access when keys become hard to track

If staff changes are frequent or several vendors share entry, ask whether commercial access control systems would make access easier to manage. Discuss individual credentials rather than a shared code that everyone knows.

Before choosing a system, ask these questions.

• Can each person's access be removed separately?
• Can vendor entry be limited to approved hours?
• Which doors and existing hardware can the proposed system support?
• What happens during a power or network outage?
• Who will maintain the system and manage user accounts?

These are buying questions, not features to assume. Decide who will manage access and how authorized staff will get in if the normal entry method stops working.

Plan the work around staff and safe exits

Before changing a leased door, check who must approve the work. Ask the landlord about shared entrances and any building-wide key system.

For a Houston office, store, clinic, restaurant, or warehouse, choose a work window that accounts for customers, deliveries, and shift changes. Ask about after-hours scheduling if daytime work would disrupt entry. Confirm availability rather than assuming it.

After the work, test each affected door from both sides with the locksmith. Confirm the retired keys no longer open the affected locks. Issue new access only to approved users and record what each received.

Questions before you approve the work