What to Do With a Departing Employee’s Email: Your 3 Clear Options

When someone leaves your organization, their email account doesn’t just… poof… vanish (unless you want it to!). You actually have a few clean, safe options — and each one has different pros, cons, and best-use scenarios.

At Ultrex, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all answers. Every company has its own workflow, retention style, and comfort level on the cost-vs-security-vs-convenience spectrum. The good news? All of these options cost you nothing and require no extra licenses. Even better news? We don’t bill per ticket or per visit, so helping you pick and configure any of this is fully covered under your retainer.

Let’s walk through the three ways we can handle a departing employee’s email account.

Option 1: Full Deletion (Not Usually Recommended)

This one is exactly what it sounds like:

  • The mailbox disappears
  • All emails in the inbox are permanently removed
  • Anyone who emails that address later will get a “no such user” bounce message

This is the cleanest and fastest option — but also the harshest. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. That’s why we rarely recommend this unless there is a specific business or legal reason to wipe the account completely.

Best for:
Companies who must permanently remove all data associated with an account.

Option 2: Delete the User, Forward Future Mail

This option wipes the old inbox but keeps the email address alive as a forwarding address.

Here’s what happens:

  • All existing emails are deleted
  • Future messages automatically forward to whoever is taking over the role

The upside: nothing falls through the cracks. The downside: you lose the historical messages.

Best for:
Teams who only care about new incoming communication and don’t need the previous employee’s email history.

Option 3: Convert the Account into a Shared Mailbox (Most Popular Option)

This is the one most companies choose — and for good reason.

  • All past emails are preserved
  • The mailbox becomes a shared inbox that authorized team members can access
  • Future emails still land in that shared mailbox
  • You can set an auto-reply to point people to the right new contact

We’ll happily help you access the shared mailbox anytime you need to retrieve old emails or transition responsibilities.

The only real “cost” is storage: the retained email still counts toward the 50GB/100GB limit of whoever “owns” the shared mailbox. Because of that, we typically recommend keeping shared mailboxes for 1–2 years (varies by company size) and then removing them once they’re no longer needed.

Best for:
Anyone who wants to preserve historical emails, maintain continuity, and smoothly redirect incoming messages.

What About Auto-Replies?

If you choose the shared mailbox route, it’s smart to set an autoreply — and we’ll use whatever message you send us.

If you don’t have one handy, Microsoft uses this default template:

*“Thank you for contacting Company Name. We regret to inform you that Staffer Name is no longer employed here.
Please direct any future correspondence to [Assigned Staff Name] at [Their Email Address].

This is an automated reply.”*

You’re welcome to tweak it however you like — friendly, formal, humorous, whatever fits your brand.

Need Help Choosing? We’ve Got You.

Whether you want a clean wipe, seamless forwarding, or a preserved mailbox with continuity, we’ll help you decide which path makes the most sense. No pressure, no upsells, and no nickel-and-diming.

At Ultrex, we tailor our recommendations to your needs and your workflows — not to any one solution. Let’s talk through your situation and pick the right fit together.

If you’re ready, just let us know which option you prefer — and if you have an autoreply message you’d like us to use.
We’ll handle the rest. 😊