Laptop at work gone missing
Discussion
Hi,
I work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
I work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
mattley said:
Was it actually your laptop or was it a company asset?
It was a company asset. I take good responsibility for my equipment, but why should I take responsibility for someone else who sneaks behind me and takes it. How can I be held liable for that? What should I do then? Clamp it down?
Like someone said above, it's on your signature, so it's your responsibility. If someone took it out of your locked cupboard without asking, you should have raised merry hell. If they took it out of your unlocked desk, then you are a silly billy, and it will have been sold on the Bay long ago 
tl:dr. Moan about it, it's not like it will be deducted from your wages
tl:dr. Moan about it, it's not like it will be deducted from your wages
Z064life said:
Hi,
I work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
So at least 2 other people have handled the computer after you last had it - and you had no control over what they were doing it.I work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
One of them had a legitimate reason for handling the laptop - ie a job required him to have that laptop - albeit it was later cancelled.
Another is apparently saying they gave it to someone - but don't know who - and they don't care.
So what think imbaciles would then try to blame you for the laptop going missing - or are we dealing with a case where the other people who handled the laptop are telling you they handled it - but telling the boss a different story - which unfortunately in the real world does happen.
Or are they saying you should have put the laptop somewhere safer - so your now the man to blame even though it appears that other colleagues handled the laptop. Speaking of which if your been singled out for not putting the laptop into secure storage - shouldn't the other colleagues who also handled the laptop also be done for failing to follow procedure.
Especially since at least one of them actually "lost" the laptop.
Sir Fergie
Z064life said:
Hi,
I work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
You are definitely in the wrong posting this. Get a fI work in an IT organisation and my laptop was given out to another colleague.
When I started the laptop was my machine until the desktop was built. Desktop was built but the laptop was kept
During Christmas, I prepped the laptop to work from home but left it in the office.
Just after Christmas, my colleague had to do an out-of-hours deployment and my laptop was put on his desk (I was informed after). That deployment was cancelled and said colleague left the laptop next to his desk. After that (the Monday next week IIRC), it was gone (my colleague never used it, but someone else took it).
The team in charge of internal IT have no track record of who has this laptop now. There is a tag on all internal devices but I don't believe this matches up to the current human user. There is no software that does a network inventory, either, so it's somewhere in the office but no idea where.
On top of that, one of the guys (who did give it, and my colleague backs this up), said "I probably gave it to someone I dunno don't care".
What I don’t understand is 1) an audit of everything in the office was done so why is it such a surprise (“Where did this appear from?” when I pull out a laptop from a drawer in an obvious place? If that is a surprise, what else is going to be missing/not accounted for? 2) This is not the first valuable item to go missing, with a lack of accountability.
I borrow company equipment like books but I always let staff know.
I don’t mind taking responsibility if I lost it or broke it, but I was not in physical control of any of this and was barely kept in the loop. If I directly contributed to this laptop going missing by placing it somewhere else, I will take responsibility, but before I could even physical claim the laptop back it was gone (i.e. before I came to work the next working day, which was after the weekend iirc). In a way, my desk is my domain so anything that is taken from it should be with permission but if I left it in somewhere more public like a meeting room, it is fair for someone else to pick it up and hand it to someone/use it. I understand that people will always borrow portable equipment (as someone said), but they should inform first - that does not excuse that.
So in the end, I left my laptop on my desk and someone else took it without even asking and then when it was placed next to my colleague, someone else took it and it's gone somewhere before I could physically reclaim it. Nowhere is it my responsibility to reclaim my laptop because someone else gave it out.
Am I in the wrong here? Is there anything else I could do?
Thanks
king life. 
Podie said:
2 things:
1) if equipment is assigned to you, you are responsible for it.
2) Every company should have asset tracking software - especially an IT company!
Okay - on the first point - i will make up a situation here - so make of this what you will.1) if equipment is assigned to you, you are responsible for it.
2) Every company should have asset tracking software - especially an IT company!
Take a truck driver - whose assigned a particular truck - but when hes gone off home - someone else takes the keys of the truck from the office without the original driver knowing.
The truck then goes through a number of different people before the original driver gets a chance to come back to it. In the meantime while these other people have the truck - something happens it.
In that situation - does the driver still retain responsibility for the truck just because the record sheet shows that the original driver was assigned the truck.
Or does common sense come into play - and we recognise that if the original driver goes home and leaves the keys of the truck in the office - and someone else accesses the keys - then the original driver cannot be expected to take responsibility for that other persons actions.
How is it different from a laptop in that sense.
Sir Fergie
In my company if I left my laptop unsecured on my desk and it goes missing I am accountable.
If you legitimately borrowed it to your colleague then he is accountable until its returned to you.
And your example is flawed. In that case whoever is guarding the keys is accountable as the driver followed procedure and returned keys to office. You just left the laptop on your desk when you should've asked if it could be stored somewhere safe.
Edit: reread your post. Who is the one who "left your laptop" on your colleagues desk ? Where was it stored previously and who put it there?
If you legitimately borrowed it to your colleague then he is accountable until its returned to you.
And your example is flawed. In that case whoever is guarding the keys is accountable as the driver followed procedure and returned keys to office. You just left the laptop on your desk when you should've asked if it could be stored somewhere safe.
Edit: reread your post. Who is the one who "left your laptop" on your colleagues desk ? Where was it stored previously and who put it there?
Edited by crazy about cars on Saturday 13th April 12:14
Edited by crazy about cars on Saturday 13th April 12:16
Sir Fergie said:
Podie said:
2 things:
1) if equipment is assigned to you, you are responsible for it.
2) Every company should have asset tracking software - especially an IT company!
Okay - on the first point - i will make up a situation here - so make of this what you will.1) if equipment is assigned to you, you are responsible for it.
2) Every company should have asset tracking software - especially an IT company!
Take a truck driver - whose assigned a particular truck - but when hes gone off home - someone else takes the keys of the truck from the office without the original driver knowing.
The truck then goes through a number of different people before the original driver gets a chance to come back to it. In the meantime while these other people have the truck - something happens it.
In that situation - does the driver still retain responsibility for the truck just because the record sheet shows that the original driver was assigned the truck.
Or does common sense come into play - and we recognise that if the original driver goes home and leaves the keys of the truck in the office - and someone else accesses the keys - then the original driver cannot be expected to take responsibility for that other persons actions.
How is it different from a laptop in that sense.
Sir Fergie
In any case, there should be a process where the driver signs out and they keys are handed back to the office. It is then office staff responsibility to ensure the keys are secure.
It's all about process and traceability.
Im a little puzzled here - if someone took the laptop from the OPs desk without permission - then surely that someone and anybody else that handled the laptop afterwards have to take some responsibility.
Otherwise - i could take someone elses laptop and get up to all kinds of mischief because everything that happens that laptop is the responsibility of the person officially assigned the laptop.
Would have thought that leaving a laptop on a desk when your weren't there was no different to having a desktop on the same desk - the laptop im using now (my own) has never been in a secure cupboard in its life.
Of course we can put forward another argument - the OP left the laptop on the desk - so if we are saying he had sole responsibility for the laptop and someone took it without permission - are we in agreement that the laptop was thus stolen.
What then - oh yeah bring in the police simply because someone else in the company needed the laptop so it was put on the other persons desk.
OP if im recognising the username correctly - i see youve previously mentioned issues with the current company so imo at some point you may have to consider calling it a day with this company.
Sir Fergie
Otherwise - i could take someone elses laptop and get up to all kinds of mischief because everything that happens that laptop is the responsibility of the person officially assigned the laptop.
Would have thought that leaving a laptop on a desk when your weren't there was no different to having a desktop on the same desk - the laptop im using now (my own) has never been in a secure cupboard in its life.
Of course we can put forward another argument - the OP left the laptop on the desk - so if we are saying he had sole responsibility for the laptop and someone took it without permission - are we in agreement that the laptop was thus stolen.
What then - oh yeah bring in the police simply because someone else in the company needed the laptop so it was put on the other persons desk.
OP if im recognising the username correctly - i see youve previously mentioned issues with the current company so imo at some point you may have to consider calling it a day with this company.
Sir Fergie
op, do you even need the laptop? are you one of those mother hens at work that have to have everything going? desk looks like a page from the staples' catalogue?
I worked somewhere once where the IT was outsourced and there was bloke (who was their official point of contact) who, everytime a new computer was ordered, would have the new one configured to him and re-configure his old one to the person who originally ordered the new machine, he was effectively costing the company double the configuration costs to ensure he always had the newest computer in the office. slightly o/topic, but I suspect similar is going on here.
long and short of it - get on with what you're paid for!
I worked somewhere once where the IT was outsourced and there was bloke (who was their official point of contact) who, everytime a new computer was ordered, would have the new one configured to him and re-configure his old one to the person who originally ordered the new machine, he was effectively costing the company double the configuration costs to ensure he always had the newest computer in the office. slightly o/topic, but I suspect similar is going on here.
long and short of it - get on with what you're paid for!
jaedba2604 said:
op, do you even need the laptop? are you one of those mother hens at work that have to have everything going? desk looks like a page from the staples' catalogue?
I worked somewhere once where the IT was outsourced and there was bloke (who was their official point of contact) who, everytime a new computer was ordered, would have the new one configured to him and re-configure his old one to the person who originally ordered the new machine, he was effectively costing the company double the configuration costs to ensure he always had the newest computer in the office. slightly o/topic, but I suspect similar is going on here.
long and short of it - get on with what you're paid for!
The OPs issue is that someone took the laptop from his desk - the laptop is now missing - and reading between the lines it seems the OP is getting the blame for the laptop going missing.I worked somewhere once where the IT was outsourced and there was bloke (who was their official point of contact) who, everytime a new computer was ordered, would have the new one configured to him and re-configure his old one to the person who originally ordered the new machine, he was effectively costing the company double the configuration costs to ensure he always had the newest computer in the office. slightly o/topic, but I suspect similar is going on here.
long and short of it - get on with what you're paid for!
Unfairly i think - someone took the laptop from the desk - so if the company are so insistant that the person who has the laptop officially - then they should be equally insistent that if the laptop is to be used by different users - it cannot be taken from another users desk without that users knowledge.
Sir Fergie
Sir Fergie said:
The OPs issue is that someone took the laptop from his desk - the laptop is now missing - and reading between the lines it seems the OP is getting the blame for the laptop going missing.
Unfairly i think - someone took the laptop from the desk - so if the company are so insistant that the person who has the laptop officially - then they should be equally insistent that if the laptop is to be used by different users - it cannot be taken from another users desk without that users knowledge.
Sir Fergie
I don't see blame anywhere...I read between the lines that he was pissed 'his' laptop's gone.Unfairly i think - someone took the laptop from the desk - so if the company are so insistant that the person who has the laptop officially - then they should be equally insistent that if the laptop is to be used by different users - it cannot be taken from another users desk without that users knowledge.
Sir Fergie
If you know the computer name send it a ping.
IP address should be sufficient for the Comms / Network Team to track down which office/building the device is at which is a starting point.
Do a Start -> Run to \\DEVICENAME\c$ (need administrative access to do this). Go into the Users folder and sort by newest Date Modified - one at the top is the person who has your laptop.
Lookup their account name (likely Active Directory) and send them an email asking for the device to be returned or for them to confirm back that they are now the owner/user of the device.
IP address should be sufficient for the Comms / Network Team to track down which office/building the device is at which is a starting point.
Do a Start -> Run to \\DEVICENAME\c$ (need administrative access to do this). Go into the Users folder and sort by newest Date Modified - one at the top is the person who has your laptop.
Lookup their account name (likely Active Directory) and send them an email asking for the device to be returned or for them to confirm back that they are now the owner/user of the device.
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