When leaving a company, do you return WFH equipment too?

[leaverleave]

I'm leaving my job soon, and have had the email about returning my laptop on my last day. However, I have also purchased things and put through expenses (e.g. a monitor, HDMI cable and a headset) and I'm not sure if I need to return those as well. Is it common to hand these back, or would I be expected to just keep them?

I will email to check but just wanted to know what was normal

Yes, it’s usual to return them unless the company specifies that they don’t want them back (say they have nowhere to store them.)

Yeah, return them.

I asked what they wanted back and left it up to them. They didn't want some of the things that they had arranged for me, but did want other bits.

Yes you need to hand them back as they belong to your employer.

I left my old company at the beginning of the year and didn’t need to give back the stuff I bought for at home with expenses (screen and cable) but I did give back the stuff I had in the office for reasonable adjustments (ergonomic mouse and keyboard). But I don’t think they could have expected me to bring a screen in on the tube!

If they paid for them then yes they need to go back.

Meant to add, some people bought desks and chairs and they obviously aren’t bringing those in to give back either! I’d check but unless the stuff you bought is the same models as the stuff in the office I doubt they are going to want it.

Yes as if they paid for them they own them

Yes, if they paid for them, you should at least offer to return them.

As you claimed for the items they are the property of the company, but they may or may not want them

They could put the items into a pool to give to someone else, but they equally may not want them at all as they are second hand and if not going to someone else would become a disposal cost to them

The common answer is to check with the company and let them decide

Of course you need to return them, unless they explicitly tell you that you can keep them

Depends on organisation.
If they supplied it they probably want it back, if they just paid for it but you chose it it is more likely you keep it.
My org paid for stuff to get people working from home at start of COVID and facilities team were very clear they didn't want a real mishmash of screens, keyboards, chairs, etc appearing when people left.

Yes, everything has to be returned here.

Supplied you give back, expensed often not.

You will need to ask whether they want the items put on expenses back. The rest will almost certainly need to be returned.

DH' company sent a courier to collect things. A chair, headset, laptop. He just packaged it up and waited to hand it over.

It depends.
I did return my laptop and headset which are standard issue to all staff.
We all had the option to buy and expense a chair and monitor which during lockdown - they were not company property & I kept those.
I also had some OH provided IT equipment which I chose not to return, it wouldn't have been re-used so seemed pointless.

If they paid, they own them. Return them

Ask them, they might not want them back, or they might need them for the next person.

If you travel by public transport to your office then it would be reasonable for them to arrange a courier to collect them.

I would keep anything that they don't ask for. They have asked for your laptop nothing else. Thats the way I see it.

You should offer to return them but (unless your contract says otherwise) this would be at the company's expense - I worked as a consultant on various short term WFH projects during COVID and the company has always arranged a courier to come and collect from my home.

In reality they may not bother. I still have two old laptops in my cupboard from companies that couldn't be arsed to actually send someone to collect them despite repeated attempts by me to arrange this (not sure what I should do with them tbh, they've been locked so are no use to me but it feels wrong to ditch them, even now a couple of years after leaving the respective roles!)

I expensed a screen with my previous job and never gave it back, nor did they ask for it.

They should list what they want - I would be returning phone, laptop, mouse but keeping keyboard, desk, chair as they don't want them. Probably depends on size of company and how much storage they'd need.

This. We pay for equipment at my workplace for people WFH so technically we own it and could ask for it back. What tends to happen in reality is that we may want some computer equipment to repurpose for other new starters but we're unlikely to ask for chairs etc back. I think it depends on the company as to whether they really want all the equipment back or whether it's more hassle for them than it's worth. Just ask them.

Ignore the posts giving you a categoric yes or no, they can't answer. It entirely depends on your company policy.