Business · 4 min read · Updated 6 November 2026
Getting IT back from remote and hybrid workers: returns and disposal
Why remote kit goes missing
With staff working from home, laptops, monitors, headsets and phones are spread across dozens or hundreds of addresses. When someone leaves or a device is replaced, there is no desk to collect it from. Equipment sits in spare rooms for months, is returned in carrier bags, or never comes back at all.
Every unreturned laptop is a device holding company data outside your control, and under UK GDPR you remain responsible for protecting that data.
It also costs money. A business laptop that sits unused at someone's home loses resale value every month, and replacing unreturned devices adds up quickly across a large remote workforce. A clear, simple return process usually pays for itself.
Put it in writing first
- State in your IT and equipment policy that devices remain company property and must be returned
- Add equipment returns to the leaver checklist with a set deadline
- Keep an asset register showing which serial numbers are with which person
- Agree who pays for return shipping, which should usually be the employer
- Check your employment contracts on how unreturned equipment is handled, and take HR or legal advice before making any deductions from pay
Return options compared
| Method | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Prepaid return box sent to the employee | Single laptops and phones | Packaging must protect the screen and battery |
| Doorstep collection by courier | Laptops plus monitors and docks | Missed collections and rebooking |
| Return to office drop-off | Hybrid staff near an office | Devices left at reception unrecorded |
| Direct collection by disposal provider | Batches of retired devices | Agree chain of custody and reporting |
Secure the device before it travels
Before a device is posted or collected, make sure it is protected if the parcel goes astray. Full-disk encryption such as BitLocker or FileVault should already be on. Your device management system can lock the device, or wipe it remotely if it will not be reused.
- Confirm the device is encrypted and the recovery key is stored centrally
- Disable the user's account and access to email and cloud services on their last day
- Lock or wipe the device through your management tool
- Ask the employee to sign out of personal accounts, but not to reset the device themselves
- Use tracked shipping and record the tracking number against the serial number
Do not ask employees to remove drives or do their own data wiping. You want a consistent, recorded process, not a mix of methods.
When the device arrives
Check the serial number against the asset register and note the condition. Decide whether it will be reissued, which means a verified erasure and rebuild, or retired. Retired devices should be stored securely and sent for certified erasure or shredding in batches, with the certificates matched back to the register.
Remove retired devices from Intune, Autopilot, Apple Business Manager or other enrolment programmes, otherwise the next owner may find them locked to your organisation and the device loses its resale value.
Inspect returned devices for damage before deciding their route. A cracked screen or swollen battery affects both safety and value, and should be noted on the register so the disposal provider can be told before collection.
Handling the ones that never come back
If a device is not returned after reminders, lock it remotely and wipe it if possible, revoke its certificates and access, and record it as lost in the asset register. If it held personal data and you cannot confirm it was encrypted, consider whether a personal data breach assessment is needed. Most organisations report the very small number of devices they genuinely cannot recover as lost assets, with the steps they took recorded.
An IT leaver checklist
- Confirm which assets are registered to the leaver, including phones, monitors, docks and security keys
- Send return packaging or book a collection before the last day
- Disable accounts, multi-factor tokens and VPN access at the agreed time
- Transfer ownership of shared files, mailboxes and cloud documents
- Lock or wipe devices through your management tool
- Record receipt of each device against its serial number
- Decide whether each device is reissued or retired
- Send retired devices for certified erasure or shredding and file the certificate
Running the same checklist for every leaver, whether they work from home or the office, gives you a consistent record and makes it far easier to answer any later question about where a device and its data went.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employee just factory reset their laptop and keep it?
Only if your organisation has agreed to sell or gift it. Even then, the reset should be done or verified by IT, the device removed from management systems, and the transfer recorded in the asset register. Allowing staff to reset and keep devices without a process leaves no evidence that company data was removed and can cause licensing problems.
Who pays to send equipment back?
Usually the employer. Providing prepaid packaging or a booked collection makes returns faster and more reliable, and protects the device in transit. Asking staff to arrange and pay for shipping themselves is a common reason devices sit at home for months. Check your policy and contracts for what has been agreed, and keep the process the same for everyone.
Is a remote wipe enough for disposal?
A remote wipe on an encrypted device is a good safeguard, but it does not give you a per-device erasure certificate. For devices being disposed of, run a verified erasure or shred the storage once the device is back in your control, and keep the certificate with your asset records.
remote workers leavers laptop returns data security
Related services
We cover 250 towns and cities, including Salford, Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Cardiff.
