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

99% of the time, if a company pays for the equipment, be that through a bulk order and you're allocated some of the equipment bought on that bulk order, or if you personally buy the equipment and then put those expense through the company, they have effectively bought that equipment and when you resign, it, 99% of the time should be returned to the company for someone else to use.

Had you bought the equipment and just used it while working from home and not put it through expenses, it's yours to do with as you want.

That said, a headset might not have to be returned (for hygiene reasons), but the cable and monitor might.

I understand that the monitor etc are company property, but I'm not sure if they will want a random mishmash of different monitors etc brought back to the office. I did email IT to ask last week but they still haven't replied, and as I have a 1.5h commute on the train I don't want to go to the effort of carrying in a monitor unnecessarily, so just wanted to see what is the general process for this kind of thing. It seems most companies will want them returned

Whether they want it or not it is theirs to reuse as they wish.

Perfectly reasonable

When it gets imminent send a followup covering the monitor, and that you need confirmation by x date that they would require the monitor.

Not only will it be awkward to bring a monitor on a train journey but it adds some risk to whether or not it will arrive working, unless of course you have the original box and packaging to safely transport it - and though that would protect the monitor it adds bulk to what you are bringing.

If they don’t confirm in time for you to bring it then don’t, but do have it available in case they realise and want to have it courier collected.
(My hunch is that unless it’s a fancy monitor then it’s a nominal cost that’s not worth the effort - they would subsequently need to get it to another employee who could also be traveling by rail to collect)

You can't be expected to return all of that on the train. Send IT a list of all the items that are theirs, tell them that it will be boxed up ready to return on your last day and ask them to send a courier to collect. It's their stuff so they should pay for its return.

You might find they tell you to keep it.

Absolutely email them a list, and mark up what you would be happy to carry on a train (a monitor is not reasonable to transport imo, you only have one pair of hands, and sometimes not even that!) they should arrange a courier pick up for anything bulky.

I didn't return any of that sort of stuff when I left my last job - as pps have said the office is fully equipped as it is - I can't imagine they would want my random desk, monitor and various cables around the place. You've emailed, if they don't respond by the time you've left i would say it's up to them to then collect if they want anything back.

I didn’t have to return my desk, chair and monitor all purchased from Argos (company reimbursed the cost) The only things they wanted back was the laptop, head set and mouse!!

You shouldn't need to lug it in on the train. There should be a courier pick up for whatever they want back.

Just ask and do as told.

Ask them OP. If the equipment is modern and up to date the company will want it back but if they're old they might write it off instead.

Yes you should return all the equipment that was paid for by your employer

When DH left his job they sent a courier to collect the laptop. Chair, desk, monitor, mouse and headset thee didnt want back. I cant see many companies wanting a stack of random desks and chairs back!