An audit of the processes used by three Departments to conduct the exit of staff found that, in varying degrees, they were not effectively or efficiently managed.
The Audit assessed the procedures employed by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage; the Department of Finance; and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
In her report, Staff Exit Controls, Auditor General, Caroline Spencer said none of the three Departments consistently met all the key criteria for an effective and efficient staff exit management process, although Finance was generally the better of the three.
“At all three entities, access to premises and IT systems were not cancelled within 24 hours of staff leaving or, in some cases, at all,” Ms Spencer said.
“Entities need to have controls in place to make sure that when staff leave, their access to buildings and information systems is cancelled and all assets issued to them are returned.”
She said if these controls were absent or ineffective, entities increased the risk of unauthorised access to buildings and information, the risk of losing sensitive and confidential information, and public assets and money.
Ms Spencer said the Audit found the Departments were also not effectively or efficiently managing the recovery of salary over-payments.
She said across the three entities, 20 staff had left owing around $53,500 and, in some cases, entities had no arrangements to recover the money.
Ms Spencer said previous audits had raised concerns over former employees having systems access after they had left an entity and the failure to complete staff exit checklists.
“I am pleased that the three entities are now acting on my recommendations,” she said.
‘The risks and challenges identified in the Report are not confined to those entities, so I urge all public sector entities to look at the findings, recommendations and better practice guide and ensure they have effective staff exit controls in place.”
Ms Spencer said her Report contained a better practice guide which provided an overview of the key requirements entities should consider in their staff exit processes.
The Audit team was Jason Beeley, Issihaka Toure, Joel Mendelson and Rachael Wilkins and the Auditor General’s 22-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
