I'm trying to figure out a reliable service for retrieving hardware from employees who have left. Sometimes these folks don't have any boxes or packaging materials. Does anyone have recommendations for services that can send a box to the employee, so they can pack it up, and then we can arrange a courier to pick it up?
5 Answers
In my experience, I've mailed a shipping box with packing materials for all the hardware we want back. Typically, we let them keep everything except for the CPU, since it's cheaper to replace keyboards and monitors than to ship them back. Depending on the situation, we might pay for the shipping or have them cover it themselves.
You might want to consider the type of box you use. We purchased some durable ULINE boxes before and they've handled some rough treatment without any issues.
Consider the cost-effectiveness of recovery. Sometimes it's cheaper to let the ex-employee ship the gear to a disposal company rather than repurposing it. We usually just ask for the laptop back and let them keep everything else since it's often not worth the hassle of shipping back items like keyboards and mice.
We tell them to keep all but the laptop too. It’s less hassle for everyone.
Setting up a company account with FedEx or UPS is a great idea. You can send the former employee a printout that they can use at the nearest shipping store to get a box and label. They'll ship it back to you with tracking, making it super convenient.
Sounds like a solid plan! I think I'll look into this option.
Both DHL and UPS offer solid options. You can just provide a pre-addressed paid shipping label and they'll handle the rest for you.
Great to hear that's working for you!