[mcherm]

Sometimes it is purely paranoia.

I have worked at a company that had the policy that any time an employee gave notice that they were leaving, the employee immediately had their access credentials revoked and was walked out of the building by security. The justification for this policy was that the employee might decide to sabotage systems if they were leaving.

While I think it is unnecessary in nearly all cases, I can at least understand the reasoning for a policy of immediately cutting access and walking an employee out after that employee has been informed that they are being fired or laid off. But there is NO sense in having the policy for employees who are choosing to leave. The policy of walking employees out immediately was well known. If such an employee HAD wanted to sabotage systems or plant a back-door, they would have done so after deciding to leave but before informing their managers. The policy served no rational purpose.