Email forwarding after an employee leaves: what are the rules?

Forwarding a company mailbox to a manager sounds straightforward. But there are pitfalls: GDPR, old contacts, and confused clients. Here's the recipe.

When an employee leaves, you forward their business email. There are three configuration options, each with its own trade-offs.

Option 1: full forward to a successor

All mail goes to a colleague. Simple, but the successor also receives spam, newsletters from non-business-relevant services, and semi-personal emails. Recommended for a maximum of 30 days.

Option 2: forward with auto-reply

Mail is forwarded and an automatic reply is sent: "[name] no longer works at [company]. For your query, please contact [successor]." This gives the sender clarity. The preferred approach in 90% of cases.

Option 3: auto-reply only, no forward

An auto-reply without forwarding. Suitable when privacy is an explicit concern — for example, when a departing HR employee's mailbox is involved.

What to configure

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• Forward duration: maximum 30 days (standard) or 90 days (exception).
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• Auto-reply text: professional, concise, including the successor's contact details.
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• Log entry: when it was set up, by whom, and until when.
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• Watch out for delegation: technically a different concept, granting more rights than a simple forward. Don't use it by accident.
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GDPR framework

You may read business emails that arrive after an employee's departure, provided it is for legitimate business purposes. You may NOT read personal emails. In practice: use an auto-reply and forward to the relevant officer — no bulk reading of the mailbox.

See also: offboarding pillar, the 30-day rule.