With more people working from home, more employees have received company-issued laptops to perform their work. Many of those employees understandably use their company issued laptops for personal matters too – like online shopping, storing photos, social media, etc. And, to be sure, many companies have lax policies about personal use of company issued computers, or do not enforce these policies, or both.
Company Computers Are Company Property
But that does not change the fact that your company issued computer belongs to the company – not to you.
You Should Not Expect Any Privacy on Your Work-Issued Computer
This has two practical implications. First, you should have no expectation of privacy for anything you do on your company-issued computer. While it is unlikely that your employer is watching your every move, the company does have the right to examine their computers to see what you’ve done and where you’ve been. If there is something you do not want your employer to know about, don’t do it on your company issued computer. Second, your employer has the right to take their computer back. This comes up most often in a termination situation. And while it may seem obvious that you have to give the company its stuff back when your employment ends, including your company issued computer, we receive may calls from employees who erroneously believe they are entitled to keep their laptops when their employment ends.
The Company Laptop Does Not Belong to You
When your employment terminates, you have to return the computer. This is because the company laptop is not yours, it belongs to the company.