Trends & Insights

Why Your Asset Recovery Process Is Failing—And How to Fix It

Written by Todd Leach, CCO | Jun 25, 2025 5:11:04 PM

Why do so many organizations lose laptops, phones, and other IT assets when employees leave? 

Because their recovery process often lacks what matters most: structure, accountability, and follow-through. 

Lost assets during offboarding don’t just mean extra expenses—they pose serious risks to data security, compliance, and operational efficiency. And in an era of hybrid work and remote exits, the problem is only growing. 

At Synetic, we’ve seen how fragmented recovery systems fail. But we’ve also helped hundreds of organizations fix the problem with smart, proactive solutions that ensure you Make Every Asset Count. 

 The Real Cost of Device Loss 

When an employee exits and their laptop vanishes with them, it’s not just a matter of replacing hardware. You could be looking at: 

  • Thousands in replacement costs 

  • Data privacy vulnerabilities 

  • Lost resale or redeployment value 

A proper asset recovery strategy pays for itself—and protects much more than just your budget. 

How to Stop Losing Devices After Offboarding 

Here’s how Synetic helps you turn a weak recovery process into a value-protecting system: 

1. Box-in-Advance Programs

The biggest mistake companies make? Waiting until offboarding is already underway to think about hardware return. 

Instead, we recommend sending return kits in advance, as soon as the employee’s exit is initiated. Prepaid labels, instructions, and even a QR code to track status make it simple for exiting employees to return gear without delays. 

This small shift accelerates turnaround time and dramatically reduces losses. 

2. Tight HR/IT Coordination

Asset recovery can’t be siloed. 

When HR and IT operate independently, gaps open up. Devices get forgotten. Return instructions arrive too late. Or no one follows up. 

By aligning offboarding workflows between HR and IT—with shared timelines, automated triggers, and clear responsibilities—you create a seamless process that leaves no device behind. 

3. Live Tracking Dashboards

You can’t manage what you can’t see. 

That’s why our systems include real-time dashboards that give your IT and HR teams visibility into every asset's status: in transit, delayed, received, or in repair. Live updates ensure nothing falls through the cracks. 

Plus, you can prioritize high-risk items—like devices with sensitive data—for urgent follow-up. 

4. In-House Repairs = Higher Recovery Value

When returned devices need repairs, what happens next? 

At Synetic, we don’t just recycle them—we revive them. Our certified in-house repair team refurbishes assets so they’re resale-ready or ready for internal redeployment. 

That means more value recovered, less waste generated, and fewer new devices purchased.

Don't Let Employee Exits Equal Lost Assets 

Every device your company issues is a financial investment—and a potential security liability. When you lack a clear, structured asset recovery process, you risk turning that investment into a sunk cost. 

But with the right system in place, you can turn exits into opportunities to: 

✅ Recapture value 
✅ Protect sensitive data 
✅ Reduce IT waste 
✅ Improve compliance 

Why Synetic? 

At Synetic, we believe every asset should work as hard as you do—even after it’s left your office. 

With over a decade of experience in IT asset recovery, we don’t just help companies recover lost laptops—we help them recover value, trust, and time. Our end-to-end solutions cover everything from proactive kit deployment and real-time tracking to certified data wiping, repairs, and sustainable resale. 

Whether you're offboarding one remote employee or restructuring entire teams, Synetic ensures your recovery process is secure, streamlined, and sustainable. 

We’ve partnered with organizations of all sizes—from fast-growing startups to global enterprises—to prevent asset loss, reduce costs, and improve ESG performance.