In a new digital world of high-growth companies and distributed workforces, offboarding has become more than an exit interview. IT offboarding has become a crucial element of the general employee offboarding process. However, IT offboarding goes beyond implementing policies and protocols—it now extends to IT asset management in a digital world where not every remote employee is A+.
With the integration of inventory asset management, high-growth companies with distributed workforces can avoid the pain and financial hard knocks associated with accidental laptop loss, outdated software, breakage, and other difficulties that emerge when this type of management is missing.
Unintentional Loss of Laptops Bring Financial Woes
GlobeNewsWire reports, “Over a quarter (27%) of respondents reported losses of more than 10% of their technology assets, and 42% experienced more than 5% of unauthorized access to SaaS applications and cloud resources stemming from incomplete deprovisioning.” It’s expensive to replace lost laptops. It’s even more expensive to recover from unauthorized access to company devices.
In addition, Capterra states, “71% of HR workers say at least one employee who left the organization didn’t return company-owned equipment like a laptop or smartphone. Each employee who does so unintentionally or by mistake is walking away with nearly $2,000 worth of equipment.”
For those ethical employees who offboarded empty-handed, not from theft but from unintentionally losing remote working tools, they’re still the bearer of bad financial news.
Losing company laptops by mistake can result in hefty fines. Cisco explains that the Information Commissioner’s Office fined organizations £26m over two years for staff losing laptops and smartphones and making the company vulnerable to security breaches and ransomware attacks. “Staff mislaying their laptops and smartphones cost businesses far more in fines than cybersecurity attacks,” reports the source.
Pay The Price if Employees Fail to Upgrade Outdated Devices Before Returning Them
So, there’s the unintentional loss of company equipment—but what about the price of outdated tech? Some employees, sadly, are not eager beavers when it comes to upkeep, software updates, and upgrades. They return the device, but it’s outdated. Now the onus is on the company to update the device.
Updating outdated technology can be an investment, both in time and money. There are higher costs associated with updating and replacing old technology, along with a perceived loss of productivity. Bringing the returned device up to speed takes time, and, as we all know, less productive time equals less money.
AirIT reveals that outdated technology results in 112 hours of productive time lost. Even worse, if the returned device remains outdated, companies will see the next remote user of this device wasting 46 minutes each day from slow tech.
Sadly, slowed productivity is not all that high-growth companies have to throw their money at. Outdated devices returned by offboarded employees bring financial losses from cyber attacks or breaches. Then there is the issue of incompatibility and the financial woes associated with outdated technology. An outdated device is also a device on the fast track to breaking. With increased breakage, repairs are needed, and more often than not, with outdated tech, these repairs are costly. And should repairs be unsuccessful, high-growth companies can expect to pay even larger bills for new model replacements.
The Price of Facing Operational Hurdles With Time Coordinating Device Returns
Inefficiencies that arise from time coordinating device returns with departing employees is another difficult situation and one which could result in more expenses and financial knocks. This situation results in the inability for new onboards to use that asset until it is returned. It is for this reason that asset management is a must because, without it, coordinating device returns with departing employees becomes a time-consuming and inefficient process, resulting in significant operational hurdles for organizations.
The delays and complexities involved in tracking, collecting, and verifying returned assets can lead to productivity bottlenecks, resource mismanagement, and administrative strain. Moreover, the repercussions extend beyond departing employees, impacting new onboarding procedures as well. With essential assets tied up in the return process, new hires are unable to access the tools they require to hit the ground running, hindering their early contributions and hampering overall efficiency.
This asset utilization gap not only prolongs the transition period for both departing and incoming staff but also presents a tangible cost in terms of lost productivity and reduced operational agility. As organizations strive for seamless employee transitions and optimal resource allocation, addressing these inefficiencies becomes imperative to foster smoother workflows and enhance organizational effectiveness.
When There’s an Offboard, Onboard Our Help and Make Offboarding Easier From an IT Perspective
All in all, high-growth companies, especially those with a distributed workforce and who are always hiring, will feel the most pain when handling laptop logistics, especially when faced with costly IT device upgrades, repairs, and accidental losses from departing employees. However, laptop logistics and asset management become easy when onboarding Doneboard.
With us, management is painless with the future also pain-free with issues prevented in the first place.
If you’re looking to prevent the above-mentioned challenges and issues faced when getting laptops back from employees when they leave, speak to us. With our asset management solutions, we’ll ensure smooth technological sailing when offboarding your employees and distributed workforces. At Doneboard, we can solve these problems, and many others, with our solution-abundant, easy-to-use app.
