Laptop retrieval: logistics and technology

Remote-only staff, hot-desking, international hires — laptop retrieval is more complex than it used to be. Here are the patterns that work without €2,000 worth of hardware going missing.

In the old days, a departing employee would drop by the office on their last day and hand in their laptop. Now they might be in Málaga or Rotterdam and have never set foot in the office. So how do we get that laptop back?

Patterns by scenario

\n
• Office-based employee: last working day in the office, hand-in before lunch. Straightforward.
\n
• Remote, within the Netherlands: send a DHL return label in advance, laptop back within 3 days of the last working day. Keep the track-and-trace confirmation.
\n
• Remote, EU: courier at company expense, or a return label with double-boxing. Typically €20–50 per device.
\n
• Remote, outside the EU: VAT/customs headaches. It's often easier to buy out the laptop at residual value than to ship it back.
\n

MDM as a safety net

You need to be able to rely on Intune / Jamf / Kandji to remotely wipe a device if it doesn't come back. Factory-reset via MDM — and if it's tied to your company Apple ID or Microsoft tenant, it can't be used again until it's decoupled.

Security deposit clause in the contract

A handy safeguard: include a clause in the employment contract covering device retrieval and liability for non-return. For contractors: make it explicit. It saves a lot of back-and-forth.

What do you do with an old laptop?

\n
• Wipe it (MDM or manually via Surface recovery / Apple Configurator).
\n
• Inspect for physical damage.
\n
• Re-image and prep it for the next hire.
\n
• Or: donate to a good cause / sell as surplus.
\n

See also: offboarding pillar, responding to laptop theft.