20 Reasons You Want To Make It Easy For Remote Workers To Return Company-Owned Equipment

The shift to remote work has opened the door to greater flexibility, talent diversity and scalable growth—but it’s also introduced new challenges when it’s time to offboard employees. Chief among them? Getting your stuff back.

Laptops, monitors, phones, tablets, docking stations, wireless headsets, even chairs and ergonomic accessories—all shipped out to remote workers who might live in different cities or even across the country.

But when the working relationship ends, the return process gets complicated fast. Delays, ghosting, lost shipments, poor tracking—these aren’t just headaches. They’re liabilities.

Making it easy for remote workers to return company-owned equipment isn’t just about saving a few bucks on gear. It’s about protecting your bottom line, brand, and infrastructure. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Equipment Is a Financial Asset

That MacBook isn’t just a tool—it’s a $1,200+ line item. Multiply that by your remote headcount and the cost of lost or unreturned gear adds up quickly. The easier you make the return process, the more likely you are to recover your assets.

2. It Reduces Data Security Risks

Lost or stolen equipment doesn’t just mean replacing hardware—it means exposure to sensitive company data, customer records, logins and proprietary information. Quick returns help you stay in control.

3. It Speeds Up the Offboarding Process

The sooner you get equipment back, the sooner you can close out user accounts, reclaim software licenses and reallocate assets to new hires.

4. Delayed Returns Slow Down IT

IT departments can’t fully deprovision users or reset devices until that gear is physically in their hands. An easy return process lets them work faster and reduces backlog.

5. It Reduces the Chance of Legal Issues

Clear return procedures help you stay compliant with internal policy and labor laws. If gear isn’t returned, you need a process in place before involving legal counsel.

6. It Helps You Avoid Payroll Disputes

Some states allow you to deduct the cost of unreturned equipment from final paychecks. Others don’t. Having a consistent, documented return process avoids getting tangled in disputes.

7. It Keeps You in Good Standing With Former Employees

Burning bridges over a charger or webcam isn’t worth it. Making returns simple and respectful leaves the door open for future collaborations or referrals.

8. Prepaid Return Labels Remove Friction

When employees don’t have to figure out shipping costs, packaging, or where to drop things off, you’re more likely to get your equipment back—and on time.

9. It Prevents Inventory Gaps

If you’re not getting gear back, you’re losing track of what you own. And if you don’t know what you own, you’re either overspending or short-staffed.

10. Better Asset Recovery Means Lower Replacement Costs

Why buy another $500 monitor when the one you need is sitting in someone’s guest bedroom? Streamlining returns saves real money.

11. It Supports a Stronger Remote Culture

A thoughtful, easy exit experience—just like a solid onboarding one—shows you care about your team at every stage. That matters, even on their way out.

12. It Strengthens Internal SOPs

Return procedures force you to evaluate how you issue, track and retrieve equipment. That builds smarter systems across HR, IT and finance.

13. It Improves Employee Trust

When offboarding isn’t chaotic or punitive, employees are more likely to comply, return items quickly and say positive things about your company after they leave.

14. It Makes Onboarding New Hires Faster

Reclaimed devices can be reimaged and sent to new hires. No delays, no new purchases, no waiting on shipping. It’s a win-win.

15. It’s Scalable

Remote workforces are only growing. Having an easy, replicable system for returns lets your business scale without letting logistics spiral out of control.

16. It Reduces Shrinkage

Whether it’s forgetfulness or something more intentional, lost equipment adds up. An easy-to-follow return process helps prevent equipment shrinkage across the board.

17. It Creates an Audit Trail

Return tracking provides documentation for audits, insurance, and financial reporting. If something goes missing, you know exactly where the process broke down.

18. It Minimizes Downtime for Replacement

If gear isn’t returned, someone’s left without the tools they need to do their job. Speeding up returns gets equipment back in rotation quickly.

19. You Maintain Control Over Company Property

Clear procedures, documented acknowledgments, and prepaid shipping options ensure the company—not the departing employee—stays in charge of how equipment is handled.

20. It’s a Professional Standard

How your business handles remote offboarding says a lot about your operational maturity. Making returns easy isn’t just courteous—it’s best practice.

Wrapping It Up

Remote work isn’t a trend anymore—it’s a standard. And that means your approach to equipment management needs to catch up.

It’s not enough to ship a laptop to a new hire and hope for the best when they move on. You need a clear, consistent return system that works—because failing to recover assets isn’t just wasteful. It’s risky.

Invest in prepaid return labels. Build return checklists. Automate your follow-ups. Track every asset from onboarding to offboarding. And most importantly, make the entire process as frictionless as possible for your remote team.

The companies that handle this well don’t just save money—they build smoother operations, safer infrastructures and a reputation for professionalism that carries far beyond their last Zoom call.