Reclaiming laptop and hardware when an employee leaves.
Employer stays owner if it is on loan. On exit you can demand return, but practice is messy: missed pickup slots, broken hardware, devices that 'got lost'. Doing this well saves hundreds of euro per exit.
Try this first
- 1Policy in writing: a list of loan items per employee (laptop, monitor, dock, headset, phone).
- 2Standard exit checklist: 5 days before the last day send return instructions with a label and box.
- 3Disable VPN/ZTNA access exactly at 17:00 on the last day, not earlier, not later.
- 4On receipt: factory reset, verify encryption, decommission the MDM record.
When to bring us in
Ex-employee does not return the laptop: written reminder, then liability for residual value. A penalty clause in the contract is usually unneeded, civil law has you covered as owner.
See also
- VPN will not connect or keeps droppingTwo main causes: your home internet or the VPN server. One quick test separates them.
- VPN connects but corporate folders are unreachableConnection says "green" but your network drives will not open. Almost always a DNS or routing issue.
- Home PC slow on VPN, fast at the officeThree suspects: home internet, VPN server limits, or routing that takes a long detour.
None of the above fits?
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