Redundancy and work from home equipment

OZHIEV

Hello,

I am currently in the middle of a voluntary redundancy process.

A few months ago my company issued equipment (chair/screen) to make work from home easier.

I am pretty sure that I read somewhere or heard somewhere, maybe even Martin saying it on TV that wfh equipment is different to a laptop as it is issued to the person, so I would be able to keep it.

Anyone has any thoughts or sources?

Thank You

NBLondon

Check your contract.  It's company property and they have the right to reclaim it.  The question might be if a particular item was customised for you - and thus can't be re-used for another employee - then the company may choose to allow you to keep it.

If however, you bought an item and claimed it on expenses - then it's yours to keep.

Grumpy_chap

I would not rely on what Martin (or anyone else in the press said).
If this is equipment paid for by the employer, then it belongs to them.  They may want it back.  If there is a laptop, they almost certainly will want it back.
The best thing is to just ask then when they will be collecting their equipment?  If they then say they don't want it, you are free to do what you want with it.  Certainly no point in your jeopardising a good reference for the sake of a chair.

Thrugelmir

If there's a redundancy process underway. There's unlikely to be any requirement for the equipment. In the broader scheme of things not a great cost to write off. Wait and see if the company actually says anything. 

Manxman_in_exile

NBLondon said:

Check your contract.  It's company property and they have the right to reclaim it.  The question might be if a particular item was customised for you - and thus can't be re-used for another employee - then the company may choose to allow you to keep it.

If however, you bought an item and claimed it on expenses - then it's yours to keep.

Is that right?  (The bit in bold)

tealady

If you claimed the cost of the chair on expenses then,  (imo) the company paid for it and so it belongs to them.
Just because it was customised to you doesn't mean it can't be used by someone else.
Best to speak to the company to see what you can keep (if anything)

NBLondon

Manxman_in_exile said:

NBLondon said:

Check your contract.  It's company property and they have the right to reclaim it.  The question might be if a particular item was customised for you - and thus can't be re-used for another employee - then the company may choose to allow you to keep it.

If however, you bought an item and claimed it on expenses - then it's yours to keep.

Is that right?  (The bit in bold)

Unless explicitly stated otherwise in contract or policy - you bought it, you're the legal owner.   A good homeworking or expenses policy might well make it clear.   Mind you - with a lot of people suddenly turning to homeworking last year, a company might not have written/updated those policies yet.

unforeseen

And if the employer re-imburses you for it then it is theirs

basill

Are you expected to return your company equipment yourself or will they collect it from you.  I was in a similar position recently and when I asked all they were interested in was laptop, phone and Id/passes.  They sent me a box and a pre paid label.

Grumpy_chap

NBLondon said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

NBLondon said:

Check your contract.  It's company property and they have the right to reclaim it.  The question might be if a particular item was customised for you - and thus can't be re-used for another employee - then the company may choose to allow you to keep it.

If however, you bought an item and claimed it on expenses - then it's yours to keep.

Is that right?  (The bit in bold)

Unless explicitly stated otherwise in contract or policy - you bought it, you're the legal owner.   

I am not sure that is correct.  If the employer paid for it, reimbursed through expenses, then the employer was really the one who bought it and is the legal owner.  All the employee did was to facilitate the process. 

If you must, think of it like the employee buying it from the shop and then the employer buying it from the employee.

getmore4less

The key here its a VR.

You negotiate the items as part of the deal to avoid any misunderstanding