Work are making us sign a disclaimer for laptop

[GoogleJuicer]

As above. We were given laptops in the first lockdown as they upgraded the systems and the piece of crap desktops were replaced. We are now back in the office.

We’ve now received an email asking us to sign a disclaimer telling us what we must do with the laptops.

I’ve heard on the grapevine someone lost it during a night out or whatever.

Won’t go into to much details but is this legal/normal?

Absolutely normal. I have had a laptop in my last 3 jobs and had a 'laptop/home working policy' in all 3.

In this job I was hybrid before pandemic. But my teams were not. The Friday before lockdown they were all issued with laptops, extra monitors etc and all had to do the training.

We had a good idea it was coming at some point as we have a lot of government involvement. So got ahead.

I can imagine if companies didn't expect it and rushed they won't have considered it. Though I think they have had almost 2 years to sort it. They have ignored it until this person misplaced it. Now catching up.

Very normal... slightly surprised not done it before

We used to have to re do it every year.

Won’t go into to much details but is this legal/normal?

Yep, it’s work’s kit, it’s not a gift.

Normal.

It would be frankly idiotic of them not to, considering the things that people can do with laptops and phones out of the office (leaving on trains with official secrets on them; accessing illegal content on the company time; toddlers pouring orange squash on them; allowing teenage family members to 'borrow', using as a doorstop etc etc)

I don’t understand what you mean by disclaimer in this context. A disclaimer is normally something that limits liability, what is it you are actually signing?

When a member of government leaves a laptop on a train with lots of tasty secrets should they be held accountable?

We had to sign something that made it clear we weren't to leave work laptops and phones in our cars and that we understood how sensitive info should be kept on them etc. Very normal.

What do you mean by “sign a disclaimer”? What does it actually say? Have you read it?

What are you objecting to? I can’t figure it out from your posts.

Your workplace probably didn't think of this before an incident happened.

I own a company and its completely normal practice and legal to ask everyone involved to sign disclaimers on computers/laptops/passwords etc.

Unfortunately I found this out the hard way when my computers/emails were hacked by an employee and the police told me that there was nothing that they could do as I hadn't gotten my staff to sign a disclaimer

We need more info. I don't understand how pp can be so sure of the answer when we have no idea what the disclaimer relates to. Is it how you look after it physically? Is it where you use it? Is it about what you use it for e.g. some/no personal use?

Afaik it is okay.
The school offered laptops/ipads during lockdown to struggling families with a strong disclaimer attached.

If they don't they might break the law eg you may break the law if you leave confidential information on a train. I believe in today's news one law firm potentially lost £25m a year because a client is blacklisting them as they left papers or a lap top on a train in Finland by mistake.

If losing the laptop might cause your employer £25m you can see why they might have a policy over it.

Yep I had to sign for both my laptop and phone. If you leave they don't give you your last pay until they've been returned either.

They've probably received a few back where they're liberally coated inside and out with fizzy drinks and have had to remove a year of school work and, going by some that came back to our IT Department, a load of games and other stuff installed by teenagers (the IT manager was isolating at the time the non technical middle manager decided they had to be handed out now, so they went out with no additional security settings).

Thing I've found is people focus on getting the form back.
I tend to read these things, identify anything I'm not happy with (eg your house insurance must cover the work laptop), neatly strike it out with a line and initial it. Then sign with a small asterix next to "I agree" and a very neat * except for deleted parts at the bottom of the page.
Photocopy it before handing back in.
Chances are it won't get picked up.
Keep it neat and in black pen. And don't tell anyone else what you're doing!

@Aprilx

I don’t understand what you mean by disclaimer in this context. A disclaimer is normally something that limits liability, what is it you are actually signing?

Stating how and where we must keep It equipment. We aren’t home workers, just have to take company laptop home every night to suit Company

@Xenia

If they don't they might break the law eg you may break the law if you leave confidential information on a train. I believe in today's news one law firm potentially lost £25m a year because a client is blacklisting them as they left papers or a lap top on a train in Finland by mistake.

If losing the laptop might cause your employer £25m you can see why they might have a policy over it.

that’s covered by GDPR

We’ve never signed anything for company property, and colleagues have lost/dropped/spilled water on their laptops/phones/tablets and they’ve been replaced with no questions asked.

Is the disclaimer going to make you liable to replace the laptop?

Also, why do they make you take laptop home each night? Do they not provide lockers, as that would be safer?

Urgh is this the irritating poster who had their work laptop stolen from their unlocked car and was trying to argue they hadn’t been told not to leave it in an unlocked car. Lots of comments about GDPR and policies. I’ll be amazed if it isn’t.

@GoogleJuicer

I’m more conscious as to why they didn’t do it before?

By sign I mean it’s part of the training.

Because they were stupid.

Most companies do this, and give you guidance on how to prevent it being stolen lost etc. A good company will have an asset list with the names of employees beside each asset, if an employee is solely responsible for it. Most companies aren't good companies.

What is it that you are being required to do / not do?

Requesting employees sign policies/agreements/disclaimers is not in itself unlawfully. The content might be however.

Presumably they have some reason they ask you to take the laptop home - enabling work from home in case of bad weather for example.
But I'm surprised you all have to lug the darn thing there and back every day! I would have thought that needlessly increases the risk of loss or damage. We do have weather forecasts these days. I only took mine home if I was going to be snowed in etc. Could you get someone to talk you through the "take it home every evening" policy so that at least you know (even if you don't agree with!!) the reason they're asking this?

What you're being asked to sign - if it's all "promise not to XYZ" where all the things are stuff you are way too sensible to do anyway - leave it unattended, leave it unlocked at home, leave it where kids can spill drinks etc, fail to pack it away when not in use, fail to lock house up & shut windows - then no issue.
But I would still ask about what the situation is if you're burgled.

Good luck, I'm afraid these things aren't always well thought out :/

I would assume they didn’t do it before because they were just frantically trying to get equipment to people to enable them to keep functioning as a business, without as much thought as they would have usually given such a roll out.

It’s completely standard. We have a laptop policy something along the lines of, it’s to be used for work only purposes, don’t let family use it, keep it safe, use the bag to carry it, keep the security software upto date etc etc.
Is there something specific you don’t agree with in your policy?