How to Get Personal Items From Your Workplace When Fired
Workplace Etiquette
By Chron Contributor Updated October 02, 2020
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Being fired is an uncomfortable situation for both you and your former employer. When you exit in this situation, it is in your best interests to be as professional and discreet as possible. This will increase your chances of getting positive reference letters from your former employer.
In this situation, you also want to make sure that you quickly retrieve personal items from the workplace. Even given the sensitivity of the situation, you can have all of your personal belongings returned to you, and end the work relationship on the best possible note.
Know Company Policy
Some companies may have a personal belongings at work policy in place that details personal belongings of fired employees. In some cases, you might not be able to reenter your old workspace at all once you've been fired. In other cases, the company may declare their intent of disposing of employee property if not collected by a certain time and deemed employee abandoned property. If you don't know what the company policy is, or even whether the company has one, ask during your exit interview. The person who gives you the news of your firing also should inform you of how the company will handle your personal belongings.
Ask a Coworker
Most people prefer to avoid collecting their belongings in front of coworkers, according to the University of California Berkeley. If you feel uncomfortable collecting your personal belongings yourself after being fired, ask a trusted coworker to get them for you. When you have a coworker pack up your belongings for you, you should always provide them with a list of items that belong to you. Also, ask your coworker to take your personal belongings and your list to your former supervisor so that the items can be inspected by a senior staff member before they are removed from the property.
Consult Human Resources
A situation may arise where you don't want to collect your personal belongings yourself and you don't have a friend still on staff to collect them for you. In this case, consult the Human Resources department about options for retrieving your personal belongings, says Wisestep. A member of Human Resources can collect the belongings for you or request them from your former supervisor.
This method is particularly helpful if you get home and find that you've forgotten something in your old workspace. When you request your personal belongings from Human Resources, submit both the request and your list of belongings in writing.
In rare cases, your former employer may be unwilling to release your personal belongings after you've been fired. If this happens, you can employ a legal representative, such as a lawyer or member of law enforcement, to assist you in the collection of your belongings.
This way of collecting your personal belongings may take significantly longer than other methods and should be used as a last resort. When you find it necessary to have a legal representative assist you in collecting your belongs you not only need a list of your personal items, you also must be willing to provide evidence that the items belong to you in the form of receipts or written witness statements.
University of California Berkeley: Firing with Dignity
Wisestep: How to Collect Personal Belongings From Your Workplace When Fired
Termination Process for a Dishonest Employee
How to Resign From a Hostile Job
Etiquette at Someone Else's Desk
What Can I Do if My Employer Wrongfully Accuses Me of Theft?
How to Fill Out an Affidavit of Service
How to Defend Against Workplace Harassment
How to Overcome Attraction at the Workplace
How to Deal With a Co-Worker's Cough
Things to Ask HR in an Exit Interview
1 Termination Process for a Dishonest Employee
2 How to Resign From a Hostile Job
3 Etiquette at Someone Else's Desk
4 What Can I Do if My Employer Wrongfully Accuses Me of Theft?