I think I’m going to lose my job- please help

[Terrifiedterrance]

anyone Lost any work property? Laptop, phone, tablet? What happened? I’m terrified im having a panic attack- I don’t know what happened

Agree, pray to Saint Anthony ( for finding lost things). Have seen this advice previously on here and tried it with success!

Coat pockets, between the car seat base and the car seat upright (mind always slips in there), have the kids put it in the sandpit?
Hope it turns up.

Never underestimate the worth to someone who makes their "living" on the rob.

We regularly get shoplifters nicking stock that they will sell for maybe twenty quid tops, but thats enough to buy drugs with. £150 would be a jackpot to someone like that.

There is a reason why such devices are encrypted.

The most important thing to do now is report the loss.

Most sensitive IT equipment can be remotely disabled or failing that, it's access to sensitive systems severed.

This is not an uncommon situation and no, you won't be fired as long as you do all you can to address the situation- which is report the loss asap.

Obviously still look for it, but better report it then find it than not report at all.

It's the not reporting that will get you into trouble not the loss.

Honestly most companies have seen it all (laptops stolen, phones fallen out of pockets, access cards gone missing, iPads left in airplane seat pockets etc etc). Shit happens which is why these devices are secured.

You'll be ok.

No, it was a mistake, human error and I reported it immediately so no harm done.

@Sallyh87 wow I did :( was in the middle of a mental health crisis, working full time in the office and having to bring laptop home. Got a disciplinary

Nothing will happen. If its a portable device then there is always a risk they will get lost, which is why they are always encrypted. Some IT depts can wipe reometly as well. As long as you didn't take confidential information when you shouldn't have, nothing at all will happen. I left a phone on a bus and a laptop on a train. Come clean and stop worrying.

Shit happens. If you’re good at your job then it will be quickly forgiven.

My work lap top got stolen
It was fine. All encrypted and wiped by my employer
They just replaced it

This might sound silly or obvious, but have you checked IN the dogs bed? I only ask as my DMs dog hid my DBs work keys in his bed once, my DB works for a huge utility company. He turned the house upside down too, it wasn't until the next day when my DM changed the dogs bedding that they were found!

I’ve had a work phone stolen also dropped another down the toilet. Report it as lost, they will wipe any data and get you a new one. Device - you mean phone ffs.

i wouldn't worry too much, i lost my work laptop and didn't realise till a few days later. I thought i left it in the office but was mistaken.

I left it in the train, my workplace had no repercussions. In fact IT told me it happens all the time and someone ran over their laptop recently too.

Two months I later recovered the laptop from lost property but my employer didn't particularly care if it was recovered or not. They were only worried about confidentiality but our systems are very secure it's not much of an issue.

Is it outside? fallen into a flower bed ( found my handbag there once!), did you put it down on the window ledge - or bin, while finding your keys, did it fall out of your coat pocket onto the path, into a shopping bag, into/ behind a flower pot?

I once found my keys - months later on top of the compost heap.

There are likely 2 explanations ime you've just plonked it down somewhere while you were distracted , fridge, drawer, bookcase, pocket, vase etc ( that's why you have no memory of what you did) or it fell out / into somewhere.

Alternatively lose something else and you'll find it while looking for that!

It's unlikely to be the value of the device, but the potential security risk; which the organisation should have limited by requiring passwords, etc. - and presumably being able to cancel all your passwords remotely.
I assume you didn't have your passwords taped to the back of the device? (yes, I have seen that!).

As long as it's not something that you are not doing on a regular basis, I can't see it being a huge problem, unless you try to cover it up by not reporting at the earliest opportunity.

As your line manager, I would be a bit hacked off at the not knowing when/how you lost it.

You won't lose your job don't worry.
I work in children's services and people are always losing phones etc. No one gets the sack, it just happens sometimes!

A lost or stolen device is not gross misconduct and not something you would get fired for.

Not reporting it as soon as you found out would be so you need to take steps to report it now that you’ve noticed it. Bear in mind the lost mode will be logged so they will know when you worked it out.

Have you had disciplinary before? Your level of anxiety suggests yes.

My mate ran over her work laptop a few years ago. She didn't get into trouble, but everyone took the piss out of her for ages.

The sooner you let your employer know the better. If they have any sense the device will be managed by their IT Team and can be accessed remotely to be wiped or disabled. Accidents happen, things get lost or stolen, but not alerting them immediately could be grounds for dismissal.

So it's a refurbished device which is so old it can't accommodate an up-to-date iOS? If this is a device provided by your company then it sounds to me like they should be worried, not you!

I dropped my work phone on the road and a bus ran over it. Nothing bad happened. They just replaced it.

Lost daughters phone, found it a year later in the door pocket of the passenger side of the car. I don’t sit on that side, and even though we’d lL looked, we didn’t find it in a timely manner 😂
I found husbands lost phone under my car on the drive, after he’d searched everywhere, and I’d already been out to look in the car.
Never surrender, never give up !

You won’t lose your job.

i lost my work iPhone a little while ago - it was the latest model and I'd only had it a few weeks ago. I told It and they just gave me another one told me to be a bit more careful.

Your phone has been stolen. You were pick pocketed and you have only just noticed. Report the theft to the non-emergency police line. Get a crime number. Inform work. No one gets sacked/

@Terrifiedterrance did you find your phone?

Similarly, I ask The Little People to stop messing around and out whatever it is back. It always works!

One notable occasion was when I had lost a vital disk to install software into a work laptop (years ago). I was in utter panic, searching till 2am. Asked the Little People (who live behind the skirting board!), and went to bed. Got up at 6am, and there it was, on top of my briefcase...