Terminating employees is the hardest part of a manager’s job, and the increasing trend toward remote work, especially during the COVID pandemic, has added new complications to this already unpleasant task.
One of the chief problems management faces during the termination process is to arrange the return of all company equipment used by the employee. This can be logistically and interpersonally difficult.
Checklist for Returned Equipment
It is of vital importance that the following equipment be fully accounted for and safely returned to management.
- Tools and safety devices
- Badges, keys, and other access credentials
- Phones and calling cards
- Computers, laptops, and associated cables
- Docking Stations
- Headsets
- Company Credit Cards
- Designs and formulas
- Books
- Price Tables
- Marketing Materials
- Company Files
- Customer Lists
- Uniforms
- Company vehicles
Any and all company property must be collected from the employee in a timely fashion. This is because not only is the equipment an asset, but some assets, such as laptops, could also contain vital or proprietary company information stored on them that is essential to running your business. Fortunately reputable courier services such as Reliable Couriers can ensure the prompt, efficient and safe return of all of these items with our Remote Office Equipment Pickup and Delivery Services.
Other Considerations
Some employees leave on good terms, other on not so good terms; which is why a courier service is the ideal way to get your company equipment returned. It is standard practice to give your ex employee a timeframe for when their company equipment will be picked up. Furthermore, there may be key documents such as letters of termination, nondisclosure, and severance agreements that may have to be signed or exchanged.
The item returns themselves must be carefully documented and shown to agree with company records. Any discrepancies should be worked out between the employee and employer through careful communication before the delivery or exchange is completed so that both parties are satisfied.
Conclusion
Remote work has proved in many ways a great convenience for both employees and employers. But in some ways it has increased pre-existing communication and logistics problems. These problems are most painfully evident in such potentially charged situations as the termination of employment.
In the digital, globalized, and decentralized networks of the modern corporation are held together by the threads of logistics. In this brave new world, experienced, professional couriers are indispensable for patching up difficult situations.
