Can My Employer Deduct Laptop Costs from My Salary After a Home Theft?

There was a theft that happened at my home at 2:30 AM in the middle of the night. During this theft attempt, my company's issued laptop was also stolen by thieves.

On the same morning, I filed an FIR against the theft attempt at my home and submitted the FIR copy to my office. Now, the company is deducting the cost of the laptop from my salary. In the meantime, my reporting manager helped me and tried to get an insurance claim regarding the loss. The insurance company is now ready to pay compensation for my loss.

My question is, in such a situation, does the employer have the right to deduct the cost of the lost laptop from my salary?

Victim

I think that the compensation likely to be paid by the insurer would be on the depreciated value of the laptop only. Therefore, the employer can only recover the balance from you or otherwise magnanimously leave it.

Dear Anony,

There is no standard policy that organizations follow in cases of laptop theft. A laptop is company property given to an employee; the employee is liable to bear the loss if any due to theft, etc., unless the same is insured by the organization. However, an important point to note here is, how old was the laptop? The recovery, if made from the employee, has to be based on the depreciated value of the laptop and not on the actual buying price.

Regards,
Rahul