I am leaving my job and need to return the office LT. How do I erase everything that is mine (work emails, web histories, etc.) before returning it? My boss is eager to see what I left on the computer. Thanks!

Since this is not your laptop and belongs to your employer. Your work email belongs to the employer and should not be removed. Additionally any copies of the email is on the server, so deleting emails from the laptop would be fruitless and likely give the impression you have something to hide. Any web history would or should be work related so why the need to remove it? What is on that laptop belongs to your employer.

of interest, under what 'conditions' were you allowed TO have the lap top at home with you ;do you have your own personal machine too ?

did they specify their machine to be for work purposes alone ? and have you used it FOR anything other THAN work related matters?

The LT is so we can work at home. No, no personal stuff. I'm interested to know emails belong to employer. Does that mean supervisor? I filed a sexual harrassment complaint against him--which Affirmative Action handled and my letter is a word document on the LT. So all my word documents belong to employer? This is a university--I thought there was academic freedom!

OK; lets look at this from a different perspective? I have work computers I am allowed to log into and work on

I also have my own computers

even IF those work computers were at home with me or if they lent me a lap top TO work at home ; ALL the stuff on there IS for WORK and NOT for my personal private use I still regard them as belonging TO work and as such can do ONLY work stuff on them

my OWN computers are mine

in my opinion you would have been FAR wiser and more sensible to use your OWN computer for ANYTHING other than strictly work



what 'freedom' do you seek?

there is also abuse of and misuse of equipment that does not belong to you and is lent to you for your work

Yes your emails belong to the university. They are transfered from their servers to their laptop. Your supervisor you filed the sexual harassment charge against does not own that laptop the university does. Your supervisor is an employee as much as you were/are. You might have affirmative action/HR accompany you when you return the laptop and advise them that your letter is on the laptop. However you look at it, the laptop and it's contents are the university's not yours.

Academic freedom does not extend to property..... Much as you can't take the university's library books home and write in the margins then rip out the pages before you return the books.

This topic is now closed as we will not assist you in removing documents and items that belong to a university.