Employee Took Off with Company Laptop: How Should I Draft a Letter to His Home?

One of our employees has absconded with the company's laptop. I have tried reaching him on his cellphone and even sent reminders to his personal email, but there has been no response. I need to issue a registered letter to his residence and would appreciate your help in drafting a format.

Thank you.

Do you have the receipt for issuing the laptop? If you do, you can issue the notice and take legal action.

Thank you.

How many days have passed since the employee absconded? If the employee absconds with company property, you should lodge a police complaint. Provide the police with information about the employee, such as the date of joining, designation, and a photo. Also, include details of the laptop. Sending a letter to the employee's residence will not be sufficient.

Regards,
DVD

Dear Kumar and DVD,

Thank you for your email and suggestions.

@ Kumar: The asset was tagged to the employee; without an acknowledgment, the laptop wouldn't have been handed over to him. I shall check with the Procurement/asset team about this. Thanks for the template, but it does not help in this case. I can use it for an unauthorized absence case.

@ DVD: He has been missing from work since January 2012. I sent him registered letters regarding his unauthorized absence and also initiated an enquiry, to which he never responded. Consequently, we had to proceed with ex-parte proceedings and separate the employee.

During his settlement clearance in May 2012, it came to our attention that the laptop was missing. I sent several reminders to his personal email, but there was no response. I need to know whether to send a registered letter to request the handover of the laptop and pursue legal action, or to lodge an FIR.

Regards.

If the person has been missing since January '12 and the issue of the laptop has surfaced now, something is definitely amiss. We first need to worry about the checks and balances within your organization. Next, we need to check if all is well with the erstwhile employee. At present, we are simply assuming that he has absconded with a company laptop. Did he show any signs of deserting the organization prior to going missing? Was he mentally disturbed? Has any attempt been made to physically reach him at his given address?

A preliminary in-house investigation should have been done immediately when the facts came to light in January itself. Even now, I feel the best course would be to file an FIR and let the police attempt to trace him. Good luck.

Regards,
Colonel Gahlot, Proprietor 'TRURECRUIT'

Thank you very much! Before I proceed with filing an FIR, I wanted to send a final letter detailing the situation to our employee, giving him one last opportunity.

Draft Letter for Employee

The highlight is the draft part; I hope the below-drafted letter is suitable to send. Would you like to add anything to it or have any final suggestions?

---

Dear [Employee's Name],

Subject: Return of Company-owned Assets

It has come to our attention that you have not yet returned the laptop that is in your possession.

With reference to our emails dated Monday, May 14, 2012, at 9:58 PM and May 28, 2012, at 12:18 PM, you have not responded or informed us of your current location.

Without excusing your actions, you are hereby given a final opportunity to return the laptop by July 10, 2012, to your location (please provide location details), failing which, the management reserves the right to pursue appropriate legal actions against you.

Below are the laptop details:

- Laptop Make:
- Asset No:
- Serial No:
- Laptop Amount:

Please treat this matter as urgent, and your acknowledgment of receiving this letter is requested.

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I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any more assistance.

Well, the phrase "Without condoning your acts" is hardly an incentive for anybody to come back and hand over the laptop. This might make the remote chance of a seemingly unlikely return simply impossible.

Whilst it is important to report the theft of the laptop, I sincerely hope you are not banking on the police to put a trace on your laptop. Not to diminish the valuable services of the police force, it is a matter of them choosing their priorities. A FIR in his local police station, I dare say, could pose an impediment for any police clearance he may want to seek for purposes of a passport, etc.

Cheers,
Saj

I don't see why you are vacillating. If he has not responded so far, do you seriously believe that he will do so now? Having said that, I hope he is in a position to respond!

Suggestion to File a FIR

My suggestion to lodge a FIR was primarily aimed at finding the individual's whereabouts and ensuring his well-being. I recommend filing an immediate FIR or police report to locate the missing person. Avoid wasting time with tentative inquiries. It is possible that there is more to this situation than meets the eye. Let the police handle it.

Good luck.

Regards,
Colonel Gahlot

And by the way, my name is NOT 'AYE,' which is just an expression. I am Colonel Gahlot [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons], Proprietor of 'TRURECRUIT'.