Property issued to employee form

Over one million employees steal from employers like you each week. You might think it's low value theft, such as the odd bit of stationery, but expensive items regularly go missing too. The risk rockets if a record isn't made when high-value equipment is issued. Use our property issued to employee form to keep track of what's yours.

Your property

Even though an employee might be given company property, e.g. a mobile phone, SatNav or laptop computer, to assist them with their job, such items don't form part of their personal belongings - whatever you've supplied them with remains yours at all times. So you have every right to expect them to:

• take good care of your property
• immediately notify you if it is lost, damaged, destroyed or stolen
• return it on demand
• surrender it on the termination of their employment.

But according to research, not all employers carefully record what equipment they've handed out to staff. This is just asking for trouble. In fact, it's estimated that poor record keeping has allowed more than 250,000 laptops to silently "wander" into employees' homes never to be seen again! We don't have to tell you how much employers' money that's sent down the drain. 

Keeping records 

But a formal written record allows you to quickly see who has your equipment and the date it was issued. It also stops an employee from denying that something is in their possession. Our Property Issued to Employee Form puts all this information in one place. By signing and dating it, the employee acknowledges and confirms that they: (1) have your property; (2) will keep it in good condition; (3) shall notify you immediately of any theft, loss or damage; and (4) agree to return it to you on the termination of their employment, or sooner if requested by a line manager or director.

Note. When any property is issued it should always be authorised by a senior manager; you don't want employees signing it out by themselves. The same applies when it's returned - somebody in authority must check the item back in and that it's in working order.

Tip. If an item is issued with accessories, such as a mobile phone with a charger and/or hands-free car kit, or a laptop computer with an external hard drive, record each item separately. This means that the smaller items are less likely to disappear.