An employee posts a laptop back to the office. The parcel arrives, but the charger is missing and nobody has checked whether the device matches the asset register. Marking the offboarding checklist complete at that point would hide work that still needs doing.
An employee equipment return form should record what was expected, what was physically received, its observed condition and who owns any exception. In Folderit, you can create that record with an eForm, ask the receiver to complete the receipt fields through a Fill fields task, and send the completed record for review.
The setup below uses fictional equipment and staff references. It is an illustrative configuration based on documented features, not a combined process tested in a live account. eForms, custom records and Workflow Designer are included in the Tailor plan.
Create a return record for each asset
Keep the asset’s permanent record in your asset register. Use a separate Equipment return record for the handback. That lets you preserve the circumstances of this return without turning the asset card into a mixture of current information and unfinished collection notes.
Start with one asset per return record. A laptop, phone and monitor may arrive on different days, through different people. Separate records make those differences visible. List the accessories expected with each asset, such as its charger, case or dock, in that asset’s return record.
Under Admin tools → Form templates, create Equipment return. Use the eForms instructions to add these fields:
| Field | Type | Who completes it |
|---|---|---|
| Employee reference | Text | Coordinator: an agreed name or internal identifier. |
| Asset | Relation | Coordinator: choose the existing asset record. |
| Expected accessories | Textarea | Coordinator: list what should accompany this item. |
| Expected return date | Date | Coordinator: the agreed handback date. |
| Return method | Select | Coordinator: In person, Courier or Other. |
| Received date and Received by | Date and User | Receiver: complete when the correct asset is received. |
| Observed condition | Select | Receiver: Good, Visible issue or Not checked. |
| Receipt outcome | Select | Receiver: Complete return, Exception or Not received. |
| Returned accessories and exception notes | Textarea | Receiver: what arrived, what is missing and what needs attention. |
| Follow-up owner and next action | User and Textarea | Receiver and reviewer: a named owner and concrete action for unresolved work. |
For Asset, set the Relation field’s Fetch options from to your asset-register template. This restricts the picker to records of that template. If you do not yet have asset records, use a Text field for an agreed asset ID instead and verify it against the equipment list.
Require the planning fields that the coordinator can supply, including the employee reference, asset, expected accessories, return date and method. Enter “None expected” when appropriate. Leave receipt, condition and follow-up fields optional at creation so a planned return can be submitted before anything arrives. Do not make a future receiver’s information globally required just to strengthen the first form.
Give the coordinator, receiver and reviewer different jobs
The coordinator checks the issued-equipment list, agrees the return arrangements and creates the record in an Equipment returns folder. They should not record receipt on someone else’s behalf merely because a courier reports delivery.
The receiver checks the physical item against its asset label or serial number, compares the accessories with the expected list, and records what they can observe. A visual check is different from an IT test. If nobody has tested the laptop, Not checked is an honest condition value.
The asset lead reviews the receipt and any follow-up plan, then makes the necessary changes to the permanent asset record. Relating the return record to an asset does not automatically update that asset’s custodian, location or availability.
Use folder and item permissions to control access. An Employee reference or Follow-up owner field describes responsibility; it does not grant access or restrict visibility to that person. Keep unrelated HR information out of the equipment record.
Ask the receiver to complete only the receipt fields
Open the Equipment return record and use its Workflow menu to build the process. Add the actual receiver as a recipient with the Fill fields method, followed by the asset lead with the Approval method. Choose Serial order so the review follows the field-completion task.
For the receiver, configure:
- Visible field filter → Only include selected fields: show the asset, employee reference, expected accessories, planned date and all receipt fields they need.
- Editable fields: select Received date, Received by, Observed condition, Receipt outcome, Returned accessories and exception notes, Follow-up owner and next action.
- Include every editable field in the visible selection. Leave the original asset and employee reference visible for checking but outside the editable selection.
- Add a note explaining the physical check and the evidence expected. Ask the receiver to leave Received date empty if the expected asset has not arrived.
The Fill fields guide explains these recipient settings. The recipient submits the task with Fill fields, updating the existing form record. A task can also allow a comment or optional attachment; use a permitted photo of the asset label or visible damage where it helps explain the receipt.
Configure recipients explicitly. A person named in a form field does not, by itself, become the workflow recipient. Field-completion order and the check for complete, accurate values are also separate matters: the reviewer should inspect the entries rather than assume a submitted task proves that every useful detail was supplied.
Define exactly what the reviewer approves
Give the asset lead a clear resolution, such as: “Does this record accurately describe receipt and assign any outstanding action?” The approval workflow guide covers decisions, comments and clarification requests.
For Complete return, check that the correct asset and expected accessories were received and the receipt details are filled in. For Exception, check the missing or damaged item is described and someone owns the next action. For Not received, keep the collection work open and identify who will pursue it.
A reviewer can approve an accurate exception record without declaring the equipment ready for reuse. Make that meaning explicit. If the facts are incomplete or inconsistent, request clarification or reject the record and assign correction and resubmission. Do not add a manual “Approval status” field that competes with the actual workflow decision.
Fictional example: Asset AS-014 is a laptop issued with a charger. The receiver confirms the laptop’s label, records its receipt date and selects Good for its observed exterior condition. The charger is missing, so Receipt outcome is Exception, with a named operations colleague responsible for arranging its return.
The reviewer checks that account access has been handled through the separate offboarding process and places the laptop in the appropriate IT holding location. The receipt record does not claim that the device has been sanitised or is ready to issue again.
Keep collection follow-up visible
Show Asset, Employee reference, Expected return date, Received date, Receipt outcome and Follow-up owner through the folder’s Columns settings. Use search filters for the Equipment return form to find overdue expected dates, empty receipt dates or specific receipt outcomes.
Choose the form-specific date field in Metadata filter rather than assuming the general Date filter means Expected return date. A complete receipt and an unresolved accessory exception can both have a Received date, so review the outcome and follow-up notes as well.
For a date-based nudge, configure an automated reminder using Expected return date, a suitable offset and a condition that Received date is empty. Select a responsible user or group. That rule concerns an outstanding asset receipt; it does not chase a missing charger after the laptop’s receipt date has been filled in. Give accessory exceptions their own follow-up arrangement.
Treat equipment recovery as part of offboarding
Physical return and access removal need separate evidence. For example, Indiana University’s personnel-security standard addresses both retrieving organisational property and removing access, with device-related work among its exit procedures. That is one organisation’s standard, not a universal requirement imposed by Folderit.
This form does not disable accounts, wipe devices, book courier collections or decide employment matters. Assign those actions to the people and systems responsible, and record the relevant completion evidence through your agreed process.
Before rollout, try a complete return, a missing accessory, a wrong device and an item still in transit. Check the receiver’s field visibility and editing rights, the order of review, reminder behaviour and access for an ordinary user. Then ask a colleague covering an absence to find the outstanding work from the register alone.
