Why Rekeying After Termination Matters
The day an employee walks out, every key they held becomes a potential vulnerability. You don't know if they made copies. You don't know who they gave those copies to. Waiting even a few days gives someone time to return after hours, or hand a key to someone else.
Rekeying changes the internal pins in your existing locks so old keys no longer work. You keep the same hardware, the same finish, the same keyholes. New keys open them. Old keys don't. It's faster and cheaper than replacing every lock, and a professional can rekey most commercial deadbolts and knob sets in minutes per door.
This applies whether the departure was amicable or contentious. Friendly ex-employees still represent risk if they lose a key or lend it out. The best practice is simple: someone leaves, rekey that day.
Rekey vs. Replace: What Makes Sense?
Rekeying works when your locks are in good shape and use standard pin-tumbler cylinders. Most commercial deadbolts, Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, can be rekeyed in under ten minutes per lock. A locksmith removes the cylinder, swaps the pin stack to match a new key, reassembles, and tests. You keep the same strike plate, the same bolt, the same aesthetic.
Replacement makes sense if locks are damaged, outdated, or you're upgrading to Grade 1 ANSI/BHMA-rated hardware for better forced-entry resistance. If you have mixed brands across your office and want a single master key system, you may need to replace mismatched cylinders with a common keyway. But for most termination scenarios, rekeying is faster and cheaper.
One exception: electronic locks and keypad systems. If the employee had a code or RFID credential, delete that credential from the system, no rekeying needed. If you have mechanical keys and electronic access, rekey the mechanical side and scrub the electronic side.
What to Rekey: Front Door, Back Door, or Everywhere?
Start with any exterior door the employee could open. Front entrance, back service door, side fire exits with thumb-turn deadbolts that unlock from outside with a key, all of them. If your office suite sits inside a larger building, rekey your suite door even if the building manager controls ground-floor access.
Interior doors depend on layout. If you have a storage room, server closet, or filing area with confidential records, rekey those too. Many businesses use a master key system: one master opens everything, individual keys open specific doors. When you rekey, you can keep that hierarchy or change it. If the former employee held a master, you'll need to rekey all locks on that master system or create a new master pin stack.
Don't forget desk drawers, file cabinets, and supply lockers if those use the same key as door locks, common in older offices. A full security audit takes fifteen minutes: walk the space, note every keyed lock, then hand that list to your locksmith.
How Long Does Commercial Rekeying Take?
For a small office, say three exterior doors and two interior locks, budget thirty to forty-five minutes total. That includes setup, rekeying each cylinder, cutting new keys, and testing every lock. Larger offices with ten or twenty doors might take ninety minutes to two hours, depending on lock types and whether you're also installing new strike-plate reinforcement or upgrading to Grade 1 deadbolts.
Most rekeying happens on-site. A mobile locksmith arrives with a pinning kit, key blanks, and a code machine (or manual file). You don't mail locks anywhere. You don't wait days. Same-day service is standard, call in the morning, locks are rekeyed by lunch.
If you're upgrading to a master key system at the same time, add planning time. The locksmith will diagram which keys open which doors, set up master wafers, and label everything. That coordination adds maybe thirty minutes but pays off when one key opens the office and your manager's desk, while the intern's key only opens the front door.
Should You Rekey After Every Departure?
Yes, if that employee had unrestricted key access. The cost of rekeying five doors is a few hundred dollars. The cost of theft, vandalism, or a data breach because someone walked in after midnight is incalculable. Even if you trust the person, you can't control whether they lose the key next month.
Some businesses rekey quarterly and issue keys logged by serial number. Others rekey only after managerial terminations or when keys go missing. The tighter your protocol, the smaller your risk. At minimum, rekey after these events: termination (voluntary or not), lost key reported by any keyholder, stolen purse or bag containing office keys, or a break-in that suggests someone had inside knowledge of your locks.
Track who holds keys. Use a simple spreadsheet: employee name, key number, date issued, date returned. When someone leaves, cross-check the sheet. If a key isn't returned, assume it's copied and rekey immediately. For more on securing commercial spaces, see our blog or explore our full services list.
What Happens to Old Keys?
Once rekeying is complete, old keys are useless metal. They won't turn the cylinder. The locksmith hands you a set of new keys, usually two or three per lock, and you distribute those to current staff. Collect old keys from everyone still employed and destroy them. A bench grinder, heavy-duty shears, or even a hammer works. Don't toss intact keys in the trash; someone could fish them out, see your address on a tag, and try doors at random.
For separated employees, request key return in writing during the exit process. If they refuse or claim the key is lost, rekey anyway. You can't enforce a lost-key fee if you can't prove they didn't return it, and arguing over twenty dollars while leaving your office vulnerable makes no sense.
Label new keys clearly, "Front," "Back," "Storage", but never include your business address on the key ring. If an employee loses a labeled key with your address, you've just handed a roadmap to a stranger.
Rekeying as Part of Offboarding
Build rekeying into your termination checklist, right alongside "disable email" and "collect ID badge." The same day HR processes the separation, call your locksmith. Many offices keep a locksmith on speed-dial for this exact reason, no scrambling, no delay.
If the employee departure is hostile, fired for cause, escorted out, rekey within hours. If it's a friendly resignation with two weeks' notice, rekey on the last day. The employee may still need building access during the notice period, but the moment they're gone, the locks change.
For roles with high access, office managers, IT staff, cleaning crews, consider rekeying and changing alarm codes. A key gets them in; an alarm code gets them past your security system. Both need to be revoked together. If you don't have an alarm, consider adding one alongside a rekey. A reinforced deadbolt with a Grade 1 rating plus a monitored alarm is a layered defense.