Commercial Security
Rekeying After an Employee Leaves: A Checklist for Atlanta Businesses
When someone leaves with a key, or you are not sure they returned every copy, here is how to decide what to rekey and how to keep it from happening again.
October 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Start with what that person could open
If you need to rekey locks in Atlanta after a staff change, the decision starts with knowing what that person's key could open. When an employee leaves, the first question is not whether they returned their key. It is which doors their key opened. A key that only works one office door is a small risk. A key that is part of a master key system, or that opens the front door, the stockroom and the cash office, is a much bigger one.
Pull your key records, or walk the building with someone who knows it well, and list every door that key could open. If you are not sure, assume the key opens more than you think and work from there.
Collected keys are not always the end of it
Getting the key back is good, but it does not prove no copies exist. Standard keys can be duplicated in minutes at hardware stores and kiosks. Unless your keys are on a restricted keyway that requires authorization to copy, a returned key is not proof that every copy came back.
If the departure was on bad terms, if the person had access to cash, records or inventory, or if anyone simply lost track of keys over the years, rekeying the affected doors is the safe call.
What to rekey first
Prioritize exterior doors, then rooms that hold money, records, equipment or inventory, then everything else the key opened. In many businesses the practical answer is to rekey the doors that person's key worked and leave the rest of the system alone.
If their key was a master or grand master key, the whole system it controlled is affected. That is a bigger job, and it is also a good moment to look at whether the system still matches how your business operates today.
Keep the next departure simple
A few habits make the next staff change much easier. Stamp each key with a number and track who holds it. Give people only the keys they need. Move critical doors to a restricted keyway so keys cannot be copied without your approval. Collect keys as part of every exit process.
For doors where access changes often, consider electronic access control. Removing someone's card or phone credential takes seconds and does not require a locksmith visit. Arrowhead can help you set up a mix of rekeyed mechanical locks and access control that fits how your team actually comes and goes.