Best practise for staff requesting a second laptop for WFH

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snebsnek@reddit

What? No. Take the laptop home with you.

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"In order to facilitate the difficulty in carriage of laptops between home and office, we are procuring all employees a company-branded laptop bag. If you do not feel the provided laptop bag meets your personal requirements, you are welcome to procure your own that meets the following specifications. If you require an accommodation in carrying your laptop between your desk and your vehicle or transit system, please speak to your manager."

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

Very ableist response.. For those that walk or cycle the full route, a laptop, even in a proper bag, can cause equality issues.

Been there, done that during the run up to covid where we were suddenly told to take a laptop home every day (laptops were in the office for hotdesking or visiting customers, no need for work from.home)

The demand for me to take my laptop home put me over the weight limit on my bike, and I didn't own a car, and a colleague who cycled couldn't drive for medical grounds, and there was no viable public transport for either of us.

The options were to get the company to provide taxis each way, every day, or provide a second laptop to work from home.

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No-Direction-886@reddit

A laptop put you over the weight limit for a bike..?

This whole bible just screams excuses.

Accommodating a disability is one thing, but given context clues and common sense that is very likely not the case for a vast majority of users especially with what OP is talking about here and him not mentioning accommodations once.

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

Since you don't know me, my bike, or other things that for 5 years I carried to and from work on my bike, which meant that an additional 3kg for laptop and charger put me over my weight limit for my bike.. Thats not including the waterproof bag and shock case that I wanted to put it in to give it a chance of surviving british spring showers.

I took all of my stuff , including bike manual stating 125 kg all up limit to a set of scales and proved the laptop took me over the limit.

Hr and I then had an honest conversation about contracts, policy and risk appetites, and the cost of me getting a car just to carry the laptop that they were mandating, as a change in contract, for me to take home each night, or for them to put in writing that they were responsible for any injury or damage caused by riding over the specified limit.

I got special dispensation.

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Tall-Geologist-1452@reddit

We would have just told you no.. HR does not get to over ride IT policy unless there is a disability.. We may have giving you a smaller one but not two.. once you start doing that then you hav to do that for everyone.. double the equipment cost, double the man power to manage devices...as not having a car that is a personal option that the company does not have any say in the matter.

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

I agree, HR doesn't get to overide IT policy... but IT policy should be informed by the relevant equality act, ADA, or equivalent to consider what might be considered a "reasonable adjustment" in the eyes of a court.

So i agree: i didn't need two laptops, a desktop at home would have been fine- but since anything other than the standard IT laptop would have opened an entire can of "argh, what's the cost of managing a second corporate machine baseline", a second laptop of the same build (talking of a business with a significant number of machines here) it can actually be easier and cheaper to deliver..

BTW, i'm coming at this as a sysadmin too.. so i get the concerns issues with it

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Tall-Geologist-1452@reddit

i am guessing you missed this part "unless there is a disability"

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beren12@reddit

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Clueguy@reddit

I did the cost analysis. Two 4K 24” screens, with a thunderbolt dock (our old setup) was less than one of the ultrawide’s my company switched to.

The problem with the ultrawide’s, at least the Dell ones we have, you can either prioritize display quality or network bandwidth. If I want to actually have a 1440p display, my bandwidth is capped at 300mbps. If I want the full 1Gbps then my display is 1080p… not only that, the display outputs 90W. My laptop, and any Dev, QA, Engineer, etc… all need 130W. I get a message stating not enough power, performance reduced. Even though the ultrawide has display port, you can’t daisy chain them. So a second screen has to be connected directly to the laptop, and then a second charger to get the full power delivery. Now my laptop has more things to connect than the previous one from the thunderbolt dock…

One other suggestion, specific to the user: is the issue related to the weight of the current laptop? Some are ridiculously heavy (like a Surface) compared to other options. If the weight is creating a challenge (ie potential medical problem), perhaps switching out the laptop for a lighter weight product would solve the problem.

Plus all the above considerations.

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Assumeweknow@reddit

Always provide a bag, even a 30 dollar chinese one from amazon. Otherwise theyll throw it in the car and before you know it cracked screen from rolling in the trunk.

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beren12@reddit

Yeah no bag = it’s not important enough to protect. It’s not my laptop, I’m not paying for a bag for works laptop.

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NSA_Chatbot@reddit

"Branded bags are a security risk".

They legitimately are, because you're telling everyone that bag has a laptop with corporate login credentials in there and it's easy to steal. It's easy to copy the bag and use that for tailgating too. If you have a branded crossbody, I can have a thumbdrive in your server or in an engineering / research laptop before lunch.

They are called "laptops" after all

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beren12@reddit

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Wow. Y'all are cheap.

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beren12@reddit

Ergonomics are a thing

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That's how our desktop team shutdown the discussion.

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Walbabyesser@reddit

AND manpower and resources to manage them. Repairs, updates… support…

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yeti-rex@reddit

Labor is a type 2 and in the discussions I've had with executives, type 2 does not factor in.

Executives look at type 1 costs. Visible money in or out of the budget. Labor is type 2 and is absorbed.

I used to think this was important, but after talking to enough executives, it doesn't factor in their head.

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munky82@reddit

60 workstations become 120 workstations. Need to hire more staff, even if user count remains same.

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beren12@reddit

Type 2 becomes type 1 when you need a few more people to handle the unneeded addtl load.

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If OP faces insistence, it sounds like he can make a business case to switch everyone to cheaper desktops instead of laptops. Why pay for a portable computer when it's not being portabled?

I would also point out the added security concerns.

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TheOhNoNotAgain@reddit

What's a reasonable TCO for a laptop? Standard office stuff, nothing fancy.

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Blackpaw8825@reddit

Yeah what's the fucking point of giving them a laptop if they can't relocate it?

If you want a stationary desktop I bet they could save a good bit of money only giving out desktops or thin clients.

I can't believe this is even vaguely entertained.

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

It's being entertained because there may be a ADA /equality act request for it on medical grounds.

So many people showing their ableist colours here it's disappointing, and telling.

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Blackpaw8825@reddit

Unless I'm missing something that happened in this post that's a hell of a leap.

Where are you getting that issuing 2 laptops would be a reasonable accommodation?

If they need a laptop because they're job is mobile, but can't move their issued laptop due to a disability then why do they need the first laptop in the first place?

I'm sure there's somebody out there for whom this would be a reasonable and necessary accommodation, but I'm not seeing it.

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Jinglefruit@reddit

I had an infection leave me with really bad balance for several years, I would fall to the floor 30 times a day at its worst and it took so long to gradually improve. I started off carrying one laptop back and fourth until inevitably I fell and it broke within 3 months. I was given a single new laptop, which took a couple days to procure where I couldn't work, and I pointed out that this whole problem could be avoided and likely costs saved if I just had 2 laptops until I recovered. Took a little while to get it approved, but it was by far the smarter move.

There is no chance this isn't ragebait.

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Bubby_Mang@reddit

Vitamin N is the most important work vitamin.

We give our users a padded backpack with the laptop and PSU in it. On their desk we leave the monitors, dock(unless it's built into a monitor)with PSU, keyboard and mouse. If the built-in dock in a monitor can't supply enough power we also leave a PSU for use there. (or more likely, that's why we set up a Dock. )

The PSU we leave in the backpack is branded with the same inventory number as the laptop. None of that 'another used borrowed my PSU during a meeting, and forgot to return it' or whatever reason is used to nick someone else's PSU)

We only allow for a second PC in very special circumstances, and never for a user to have TWO portables.

Even the poor fellows who has been granted WFH status because of health doesn't get two.

Maintaining permanent WFH machines is a nightmare. Particularly as they tend to end up used for personal stuff.

They MUST be locked down even forther than a regular PC or it becomes a security issue, too.

Then there's also licensing. Yes, Adobe Professional licenses cost that much, and no it's not a Per concurrent Users, or even Per User. It's per machine it's installed on.

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SeaPay1405@reddit

You didn't mention licensing costs assuming they use more than just office toolset.

If it's insisted they want a second device, then i'd go for an Office based desktop and the laptop for home. Set a GPO for laptop devices to always connect through VPN and have a strict GPO enforcement.

If they don't want to moving equipment around, how much of what you do is on the MS platform? could Office online they could use there own kit?

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SirG33k@reddit

I bought more USB c docking stations than laptops by a lot. Gave each person a dock in their laptop bag and had the team setup a dock in every office. Loaner laptops? Sorry, we only have 3 for 300 folks.

Didn't bring your laptop to work? Forgot it at home? Well, you might want to go get it.

It was an issue the first week we gave out new laptops, but hasn't been since the first executive had to go home to get their laptop because all loaners were in use. They asked for a new laptop to be purchased for them, I asked for an additional $50k in the budget for 30 more laptops or the power to tell people to go home and get their laptops.

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maceion@reddit

We set up an external hard disk, bootable , with company software on it. It connects to person's own home laptop via USB and boots to a normal work screen, with their work email (using Mozilla Thunderbird) and desktop. Thus they use their computer booted from work external hard drive, when on work from home.

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youpibot@reddit

My wife made a similar request last year only temporary while she was pregnant as a resonable adjust request. She walked to work, I'm Bristol summer and wanted to avoid carrying her laptop with her... Only asked for a temporary second laptop. And it was my old one.

We work in the same place and I got a new one as been here for a while. IT had none of of it and asked for me to return the older 6year old laptop as soon as possible.

Worth asking but they said no as expected.

I bought a second hand all in one pc and she leaves her laptop at work. Everything is in OneDrive/365 so no issues here and with VPN she can access work drives..

Company provided laptop, screens monitors.. even a desk during COVID. As this is needed to work. Having a second pc is only for convenience, so at cost.. cost me 50£ and she still uses this now

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InnovativeBureaucrat@reddit

I’ll say it: carrying a laptop back and forth sucks. Especially if you work from home a lot and forget the laptop at home or work one day.

Patching shouldn’t be worse than a personal device with VPN.

So, for the cost of the e3 or e5 365 license we could have windows 11 enterprise?

But only if we upgrade the oem? We don't get this deal if we re-image?

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FarmboyJustice@reddit

Windows licensing is super confusing, but one of the things you're actually getting with the enterprise licensing is the ability to re-image machines with your preferred OS.

When you buy a machine with an OEM license, you are only allowed to use that license on that one specific computer; it can't be transferred to another machine or repurposed, and you can't get any sort of Microsoft support for it. OEM licenses can only be bought by consumers as part of buying a computer. OEM licenses are cheaper because of these restrictions, and that's why computer manufacturers prefer them.

If you buy a retail license for Windows, you can install it on whatever computer you want, and if you buy a different computer you can transfer the retail license over. But it costs more than an OEM license.

Windows retail licensing is essentially an upgrade license, where you are replacing the OS that came with the computer with a better one. Like if you bought a computer with home edition and you wanted pro edition, you'd use the pro edition version to upgrade the existing oem license.

Windows enterprise licensing works a bit different than pro, but the same concept applies.

By subscribing to 365 E3 or E5, you have the ability to replace the OEM Windows that came with your computers with an enterprise version (by imaging, reinstalling, or whatever.) It's considered to be an "upgrade" of the original windows.

There's more to it, you have to activate through Azure or Intune, for example, but if you need Enterprise and are already paying for 365 anyway, you might as well use it.

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simAlity@reddit

Thank you!!!

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Thaser11@reddit

Hit them with virtual desktops they have to remote into from the office and from home. That will teach them to be lazy

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Bogus1989@reddit

maybe a home docking station and monitors?

but not no laptop.

Alright here is what you do,

everyones second laptop?

give them the shittiest oldest laptops you have.

promise you, they will return them soon.

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fraiserdog@reddit

The other thing would be file syncing. Next thing you know they will be whining that they are missing files or the version is wrong.

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Pristine_Curve@reddit

Don't reason, don't explain, don't convince, don't say 'not recommended' just say 'no'.

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fraiserdog@reddit

That isbthe whole point of a laptop. It is PORTABLE!

I would say no to that. You probably will be overridden but make sure you play up the additional cost.

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congradulations on missing the point entirely

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NeXtDracool@reddit

No I understood you perfectly well, I just think your "point" is ridiculous and entitled and stems from having a super sedentary lifestyle where the hardest physical exertion you experience in a day is getting out of bed.

Get a grip, you're just too lazy to carry 5 pounds to your car.

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beren12@reddit

You missed the point that said: train/bike/walk

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NeXtDracool@reddit

I didn't, I just think he's full of shit. The only people who complain about 5 pounds are those who are not used to any form of exercise.

If you regularly walk you wouldn't even notice 5 pounds.

If you regularly bike you wouldn't notice either and you'd use panniers anyway.

If you're on the train you're literally not even carrying your backpack most of the time, you're putting it on the floor or store it overhead.

Unlike that guy I actually do all of these things regularly and I literally don't even notice my laptop.

(and yes, there are obviously medical exceptions, I shouldn't have to mention these. Disability accommodation is always a special case)

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We switched to the Dell Pro 14 Plus and the laptops themselves are only 2.1-2.5lbs. Light AF.

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half_regard@reddit

The average adult of working age should be able to lift and carry <= 8 lbs.

congratulations on missing the point

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RabidTaquito@reddit

Hi, nerd here. If you're so weak that you can't handle a mere 5kg weight, then you badly need to hit the gym. I was carrying more than that on my \~50-km bike ride yesterday. Facing the wind, too.

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Palorim12@reddit

We recently changed laptops from a brand and model that was 1.6\~1.8lbs, to equivalent Dells that are 2.1\~2.3lbs, and the number of complaints we've received about the new laptops being "too heavy" are astounding. Most of them shut up when i tell them its only at mode a half a pound difference.

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half_regard@reddit

Hi, nerd here.

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No-Direction-886@reddit

Also a cheap way to build bad expectations.

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binaryhextechdude@reddit

You're reminding me of the first lockdown. We got a simple instruction "Each staff member gets a laptop, bag, charger" nothing else. I was thrilled, I can work with blanket rules.

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the_doughboy@reddit

Yes of course. All accommodations go through HR then IT.

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techw1z@reddit

no.

give them a nice bag that fits everything they need.

at best, give them a second docking station.

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glimmergirl1@reddit

This is the problem. They want the same big monitors, full keyboard and a mouse that they have in the office.

Also, they pay for the doubles. We supply one and any extra comes out of their budget. And we dont replace them if damaged or even just upgrades.

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siedenburg2@reddit

We go 2 big monitors, keyboard and mouse together with a cheap ugreen dock as default equip for remote work people and it's working without problems now. Biggest problem we had was the switching time where we havn't had laptops that could do all that over one usb-c. Now everything is ready to go at home and they just need to connect one usb-c cable.

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MarzMan@reddit

Don't forget the printer. Plus ink and paper for the printer, and could you also give me some batteries for the wireless keyboard\mouse too?

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mrlinkwii@reddit

They want the same big monitors, full keyboard and a mouse that they have in the office.

dlongwing@reddit

Exactly this. It's not an IT decision, it's a management decision. Refer it to someone at the VP level and budget it as an extra laptop for ALL WFH staff (giving it to one, gotta give it to everyone, right?).

Management will decline the request.

When users complain, tell them to take it up with senior leadership. They denied the budgetary request for additional laptops for WFH.

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Main_Damage_7717@reddit

it also doubles the attack surface area for each user, increases the risk of devices that are not up to date, or go missing

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psgda@reddit (OP)

Nicely put!

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cardrosspete@reddit

Absolutely not, laptop bags and a reminder of the cost ( both environmental and fiscal ) of pointless duplication.

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DheeradjS@reddit

Does it come out of your budget, or theirs?

I don't see the point, but if it's not your budget being affected you make it their manager's problem.

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chiefs6770@reddit

Additional licensing cost for software must be included. Security software, asset tracking, document management suites like Adobe and others require additional licenses for other devices sometimes.

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Do they have an extra charger so they don’t need to take that home as well? It’s probably a pain in the rear for some of these employees to do the cable management shuffle, so if you make it plug and play, they won’t have any issue.

Also, are they provided a laptop bag when they were issued their laptop? Some people refuse to buy stuff for work and only use issued equipment, which I get.

I personally have a laptop backpack I bought forever ago, which I love, and have a dock at work. I purchased it myself though because i was tired of plugging everything in. (I work at a school now. Money is tight)

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psgda@reddit (OP)

We have a lot of cyclists so I'm guessing that's their complaint - they don't want to carry their laptops with them! Just laziness.

simAlity@reddit

So glad someone else is saying this. This thread is chalk-a-block full of able-ist assholes who really need to check their privilege.

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

Yeah, it's really, really, showing isn't it :-(

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chewb@reddit

Issue them desktops for the office

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ProfessionalBread176@reddit

Yeah, no. Maintaining twice the number of devices is a logistical nightmare.

The employees can either take it home or work in the office.

What's with these inmates wanting to run the asylum? Are they just lazy?

I can't imagine why anyone would want to have to have 2 separate laptops to manage and update, and where do they expect to keep all their files?

Assuming that others agree that cloud storage offers its own benefits, but increases the attack surface for each user

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gnosisshadow@reddit

No not normal at all

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che-che-chester@reddit

The user would need to wait for us to stop laughing before we said no. The entire purpose of a laptop is so you can take it home.

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miltonthecat@reddit

Repeat after me.

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hawksdiesel@reddit

Take the laptop home. It's a portable computer.....quit being lazy.

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bippy_b@reddit

Make sire it comes from their budget and not IT. IT already procured a perfectly viable laptop.

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Wooden-Breath8529@reddit

We only provide a second laptop if there is a documented medial issue with HR otherwise it’s

Nik_Tesla@reddit

This seems like a recipe for getting their hybrid status revoked because of tons of little screw ups and/or parity issues.

U: "Sorry boss, I can't get you that thing I've been working on, it's only on my other laptop, I didn't put it on onedrive/sharepoint/drive"

And

U: "Hey IT, my work laptop does X, why isn't my home laptop doing X? Make them the same in every way!"

IT: "You mean, make them as if they're one laptop? Easy to do." Takes away second laptop and makes them carry it between locations

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StrikingInterview580@reddit

If they don't want to carry their laptop to and fro ifnI was their manager that would be the end of their home working so they don't need to. Entitlement is shocking here.

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i8noodles@reddit

no. unless explicitly given approval by your own team leads, no one gets a second laptop.

everyone gets 1 laptop. if they are too lazy to carry it home to work from home then they can work from the office instead. they will suddenly notice the laptop is not that heavy.

Anyone who asks me for a second laptop is getting a "Laptop Request Approval" phishing test email and will enjoy their remedial training accordingly.

ORA2J@reddit

"No"

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nof@reddit

Issue second power supplies so they don't have to fuss with cables moving their laptop back and forth.

I requested two extra - one for WFH (plus docking station) and one I keep in my laptop bag for when I'm working somewhere else entirely.

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ViciousXUSMC@reddit

Work from home is a privilege, don't want to take the laptop home then take yourself to the office.

But say it nice lol

Honestly I could write up many good reasons, but there are so many answers already I'm sure someone else has already covered it.

If there was any one off answer maybe missed, it would be how I look at security.

Not taking home that work laptop also means they are leaving a laptop unsecured at home.

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bukkithedd@reddit

I've got some users that has two laptops, but it's mostly technical personell that needs something that's completely standalone due to the nature of the tools on them.

Them: I need a second machine for home.

Me: A laptop is portable, the point is you take it home every night and bring it back every day.

Do they use the same laptop at work, or do they have desktops there?

Honestly, this sounds like a question for the C-level to set policy on, rather than IT. Certainly, we can provide pros-and-cons breakdowns for each option, but ultimately it's a workplace-experience issue and a budgeting call that management's going to have to make.

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BigLoveForNoodles@reddit

Do a couple of cost estimates. One to get a second laptop for the affected staff… and one to get them cheap mini PCs to use in the office.

Technically, they’d still be able to keep their laptops at home, but I’ll bet you can kit the whole office out with some cheap mini PCs for half the price you’d pay buying and maintaining extra laptops. Plus… the people demanding it will probably hate it, which in this particular case I view as a plus.

(For fuck’s sake, I’m a software architect with 30 years of experience. 52 years old with sciatica and I still lug my one laptop around when I have to travel, so they can suck it up too.)

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Mindestiny@reddit

If this is going to become the new norm, then you fire back in with "well since there's no longer a business need for mobility in the office environment, were replacing the "office laptops" with desktops.

You'll see how quick this disappears

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Ok_Wasabi8793@reddit

If you can’t deal with bringing a laptop back and forth you can’t work from home. Done and dusted.

If you’re an exec sure, have 3. Just email me and I’ll forward to the equivalent person I’m under.

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grtbreaststroker@reddit

Azure Virtual Desktop + RDP might solve this issue if not wanting to carry a laptop around, but that implies they have a personal computer at home to use.

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mrderdude@reddit

No. This what laptops are made for.

I have two work laptops. But the reasoning is different than this. The laptops are vastly different in capabilities and os.

Why not just let them remote into the laptop? Leave it at the office. They use their own device to remote in. The work stays on the remote device. The laptop stays at work. The end-user can curate their home setup how they like. Things stay locked down a bit better. Put the money in the network and not the devices. It would give managers a bit of clout to say VPN access is limited so it would be allotted based on merit and lottery. I dunno, I could see this working.

Buying two devices and handling the patch management, shink/loss seems like it would double the attack surface pretty quickly.

It could be possible to provide virtual desktops. Rig up something with webtop and run a mix of cloudflared and nginx to help with proxying. Authelia can offer mfa etc on the edge. You could run subdomains to cut down on the VPN cost. Depends on size of company and appetite for all that kind of thing. It's pretty much open source. But doable.

Just some ideas because two devices is kinda crazy to me just because someone doesn't want to carry one to and fro from the office...

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mercurygreen@reddit

They can insist all they want.

If they want specialty equipment that's not required for their job function or for ADA compliance, their department can pay for it.

It's NOT the norm - they get laptops SPECIFICALLY for portability. If they need a computer in both locations and don't want to move them between locations, the departments can arrange two (crappy as hell ) thin clients, one for each location.

Conflict and sync issues DO happen because they generally don't always let the computer finish the sync before puttting to to sleep, or shutting it down. Or (my favorite) leave it logged in at one location with files open so they're locked and out of date. (Fun fact, if they're using the online version of 365 for Word, etc., they really don't need much more than a Chromebook.)

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Ecsta@reddit

Shared computers in the office? Honestly it’s pretty annoying carrying a laptop back and forth but I’m sure if you gave them the option of working every day in the office they’d stop complaining.

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1a2b3c4d_1a2b3c4d@reddit

AH... really? How about "the policy says one laptop per employee..." End of conversation.

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DiscipleOfYeshua@reddit

“How about an extra phone as well?”

It’s. A. Laptop. Made for probability.

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lotekjunky@reddit

Flip the script. Make it policy so everyone MUST take their laptop home every night as part of the disaster recovery protocol.

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gowithflow192@reddit

Ask the CFO if they will pay for it. The idea will get squashed immediately.

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bendsley@reddit

Isn't having a laptop the whole ever fucking point?

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wrt-wtf-@reddit

Maybe there is a justification for it but the solution depends on what issue the user is trying to solve.

If you’re buying portable workstations or machines on the heavier side (normally cheaper fleet devices) it is possible to have medical grounds to make mobility easier. One answer is to have a second laptop, the better answer may be to purchase lighter or smaller units. Mobility and pain were the likely issues.

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Dry_Conversation571@reddit

The people at my work who have multiple laptops are the CEO and the VP of IT, both of whom are clearly too important to be expected to remember to bring their devices with them.

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The only times I’ve ever seen this allowed is when the person has an injury or physical ailment that prevents them from carrying it to and from the office.

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SurpriseIllustrious5@reddit

This isn't your decision BUT is also job security. They get approval then you request extra support when you have double to laptops.

Hi we have seen an increase in x hardware over last 2 years we need another FTE for support.

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kamomil@reddit

My workplace instituted a company policy that you were assigned 1 computer. If they detected you using other computers, they gave you a hassle emailing you until you handed one back to IT.

I wasn't assigned any personal computer... I used 3 shared ones however. I started getting emails to return all but 1 to IT, so I got my manager to handle it. It would have been funny maybe to hand off an engineering computer to IT but I didn't bother

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bdanmo@reddit

No. That’s what the first laptop is for. Get them a decent docking solution if they don’t have one. Maybe a separate dock for home if that floats their boat.

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Ummm no. Unless the client has the budget spend on a second laptop. If it’s from a shared pool of devices? Maybe. Also a charger for home is not unreasonable but only because your doc has charge capability at the office…..

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ilyas-inthe-cloud@reddit

We went through this exact thing at my org with about 80 hybrid staff. Our answer was no across the board and leadership backed it. The real issue wasn't the cost, it was the asset management nightmare of tracking twice the devices with the same team size. What did help was giving everyone a decent laptop sleeve and a usb-c dock for home. Most of the complaints stopped once people realized they just needed a better carry situation, not a whole second machine.

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c_snapper@reddit

When some users ask for a second power supply for home so they don’t have to plug and unplug when they’re in the office once/twice a week, I tell them to go pound sand. Asking for an extra laptop for the two remote days is the kind shit that is gonna make your org go full RTO.

It’s giving buying new clothes instead of doing the laundry.

The mere suggestion is making me very angry lol. If your employer somehow approves it; start looking for a new job because they’re not very good with money.

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nanonoise@reddit

If really important executive type person - sure, why not.

Assumeweknow@reddit

I prefer the pay for home docking station setup option with lightweight carbon x1.

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NoCream2189@reddit

just lay out ALL the costs for your CFO, including additional licensing, additional manpower or MSP cost, additional intune or MDM software licensing, additional hardware costs, warranty cost everything

Get them a bag. The lazy assholes can go fuck themselves. I’m not buying a second damn computer for everyone. MAYBE 1 or 2 VIPs. Maybe.

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gwatt21@reddit

If Dora the Explorer can use a backpack, so can your staff!

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Nope

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Traditional-Trad@reddit

What laptops do they have atm? If it’s 1.4kg like the X1 Carbon they can swing. It’s it’s a larger model then they have a point to an extent. I went through this and in most cases it was a no because I ran the numbers on the costs. * extended support hours to maintain more endpoints * Without always on vpn they’d need to bring the laptop in anyway to about non compliance and Data leak *CMDB becomes a larger job I agree with you on the offboarding. I had guys go travelling on gardening leave, give up their rented accommodation and never return that laptop from Portugal. Not a technology issue more line management and HR * licensing cost And ugh just F off!!

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cbelt3@reddit

Second docking station and monitor is absolutely WORTH the cost. Because that late night or weekend work is free. Like… come ON. It pays for itself in one week !

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SAL10000@reddit

Lol wut

Wild that is even a discussion topic.

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ThatGuyPatrick@reddit

This happened to me that an accountant said they needed a second laptop and complained hers was too heavy to carry from the car to her desk. She had terrible timing since I had just ridden my bicycle 22 miles with mine on my back. That shut her down pretty quickly.

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Wolfsbane2k@reddit

Sigh. Your challenges and ability are different to others. Don't be ableist.

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SilentPrince@reddit

The entire point of a laptop is to be able to carry it around? Makes no sense they get a second one when they'd still take one to the office and then home again anyway.

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CluelessFlunky@reddit

I've been asked to let staff have two laptops before. I told them no but id be willing to set them up a docking stations so its easier to set up when coming in the morning, and we can provide a second dock to use at home.

No way in hell are they getting a second computer.

I would absolutely ask for a second laptop if I know it's an option, I'm lazy like that. I haven't though, because of course it would be dumb for them to allow it.

I did ask for a charger though.

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Rocknbob69@reddit

What is wrong with one? They are mobile devices

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Kinamya@reddit

I'm pretty, so IF, and that is a big IF, that got approved for 2 devices, I'd buy them 2 of the largest desktops I could for them.

Haha got them!

This would never get past my manager though, they'd say bring it home. There are exceptions like a partner at a law firm billing $10,000/hr, but anyone else? Nope

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jaminvi@reddit

A few people wo work from home sometimes have extra monitors and keyboards and mice for home.

A extra laptop is crazy. Unless you are talking about a desktop replacement that weighs 8 lbs there is no way it is justified. And if someone doesn't want to carry a laptop then it's not really a laptop.

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Ryokurin@reddit

We used to give a second laptop to people that requested it, and eventually the users caught on, so anytime they requested equipment for a new hire, they'd ask for two laptops too "Just in case"

What ultimately got my org to stop it (more, make it so that you had to justify it, not just because) was the expense, and us pointing out that the majority of people didn't even use it, so the few times where there was an emergency and they had to WFH it was so outdated patch wise that they were essentially useless. Don't get me started on the people who did use it but gave it to their kid...

Secondary laptops are typically used for UAT/Beta testing and I would position it that way. If people are requesting this, I would inform them that their secondary device is expected to be online frequently and will receive patches prior to other devices in the org. They must actively provide feedback and anyone whose device is not online for 15+ hours per week (ideally with active use) will be relegated back to a single device. If they're going to have it, use it to your advantage and spin it in a way that helps the whole org.

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SirLoremIpsum@reddit

IF Senior management approve a second laptop, then what criteria must be met to accept their request for a second laptop?

Honestly... I would say "you will be provisioned a desktop for use at the office and a laptop for use remote and at home".

Then add in guidelines for laptop usage to ensure it stays on network. Patched. Trust w domain etc.

Then you save on 2 x docking stations, desktop cheaper

NobleRuin6@reddit

You are trying too hard. Not your task to decide company policy. Draft a quote of what it would cost, for the company and per person, to have dedicated WFH equipment. Include padding for additional support calls, warranty, etc and don’t be gentle. Also include any risk factors, like lack of physical security when employee is not at home. Route to execs and let them decide if the juice is worth the squeeze.

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The_Freeholder@reddit

Get rid of your old spares, now. The Voice of Experience speaks.

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manilove__frogs@reddit

That's ridiculous. I'd offer them to trade in their laptop for 2 desktops instead.

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BootlegBabyJsus@reddit

The only reason you have a laptop is so you can work away from your desk.

Put it in the bag and carry it home.

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JJHall_ID@reddit

Tell them absolutely not. The whole point of moving to a laptop is so that they can take it with them. At my company we switched everyone to laptops, and that's part of our business continuity plan. It'll take less time to switch to full WFH if we have some sort of pandemic-style event again, if we have a building loss for whatever reason people have their laptops, etc.

I do support requests for an extra charger cable so people can keep one at the office then have another to keep portable/leave at home, but whole laptop? Nope.

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M4niac81@reddit

It's a bloody laptop, it's literally built to be taken from place to place. Why would you even want two? Honestly, if anyone asked that in my organisation they would get laughed at so hard from all angles.

My employment contract states that I can carry up to 50lbs.

I assume many are similar.

Carry the laptop.

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mad-ghost1@reddit

Endpoint security most be looked at critically. How do you manage the devices and out of bound management?

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zebbiehedges@reddit

Nope. I've been asked for monitors etc but never a home laptop. The whole point of a laptop is mobility.

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goodboyhouston@reddit

This is a nonstarter. The only compromise may be a monitor for use at home.

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SamuelVimesTrained@reddit

And they sold me the laptop as it is practical to take with you… geez. Your users Neanderthals?

That said, renewing passwords.. how will they handle this? Also, not sure about budgets, but for us, new hires and end of warranty replacements are IT cost center. Anything fancy, on users cost center / their departmental cost center, so direct impact on their results. Beef up these cost to drive home your point (office license, need 1 more @$xxx)

And, get in writing before anything gets approved, that sync issues due this plan which does not make sense, are end user responsibility, and will not reflect on IT.

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MastodonMaliwan@reddit

That's the point of the laptop. Get them 2 docks, 4 monitors, 2 keyboard, 2 mice. Done deal.

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Walbabyesser@reddit

TF? You‘re issuing a PORTABLE computer but users can‘t be bothered to physically carry them? What in the name of St. Economy is that?

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Thyg0d@reddit

Totally agree..

I'd probably look at the requester as if he/she was kidding or a complete nut job.

Secondly I'd ask them if they've got a doctors prescription showing it's impossible for them to carry 1.5kg.. (then check any bag they carry to and from work for weight../s )

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Walbabyesser@reddit

Stupid Stanley Cups (filled) even weigh more… 😤

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Thyg0d@reddit

Yeah I've had people complain mac air is heavy..

When I started in 96..a laptop came with a frikkin trailer.. And no one complained.

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systonia_@reddit

We had this also. People leave their laptop in the office when they want to do HO the next day. Can't make this up. Unbelievable. So people wanted one for home. We pushed back and of course there were a bunch of very special ones that insisted. So we made it a tripple jump. Their department must pay for it. The head of must provide a business case why it is needed. If one of the 2 devices is offline for over 2 months, it gets returned.

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Medium_Masterpiece36@reddit

I don't work in IT, but this would definitely be my way to go. Pretty sure nobody will request a second laptop after the first user got their miniPCs.

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kagato87@reddit

I've previously been able to shut these down by telling them they have to get approval from their department head for the cost, becaue it is going under their budget, not IT, as it is non standard.

If it's important enough, their department pays for it. (Make sure the full cost is considered, not just hardware. There's also all the software and security/management tools licensing to keep in mind.)

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T_Thriller_T@reddit

I've never heard about this being a regular request.

I think one issue here, though, is that you are asking the wrong questions to the wrong audience. The folks requesting do have a reason why they request - and I'd start with collecting those reasons before considering this.

I have worked in places where folks did have work stations and a laptop which usually remained home. There are some issues, especially with updates, which to me would be more problematic then the cost factor.

The only reason I could see and have heard is worry about damage / theft during transport. That is somewhat reasonable.

In this case I'd still suppose to check. Maybe they don't want to constantly switch things around. If you do not provide a docking station, I'm pretty sure that the hassle connecting and disconnecting and the issue proneness of it plays into this Or maybe they have strange misconceptions a technician wouldn't even understand.

So.. go ask those requesting

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MagicBoyUK@reddit

We tell them to sling their hook. You'll usually need additional licences.If they're unable to carry a flat 1.5kg object in a carry case they obviously have severe medical difficulties.

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theMightBoop@reddit

Write a policy. Get the appropriate people to sign off on it. If that is you then so be it but now it looks all official and shit. So when people complain you point to the policy.

If people important enough insist then charge it back to their group and have them sign off on the purchase order. Once they see it will cost them $1500 per person or whatever it is for someone to get another laptop all because they are too lazy to take their existing laptop home they will shut up.

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Adam_Kearn@reddit

If only there was a computer that had a battery attached and could be moved around easily…..oh wait there is….

As others have already suggested I personally prefer to give all laptops out with a decent laptop bag not only to protect the laptop but also to make it easier for the user.

I would recommend investing in some USB-C docks (UGREEN is a brand I normally go for as they are cheap and reliable)

You can then give these out to users who work from home so they only need to disconnect a single cable to take the laptop away. You can buy a bunch of these for about £15 each so it doesn’t really matter if you don’t get them back afterwards.

Could also be useful to buy a second charger cable go WFH users so they don’t have to keep unplugging their setup just to come into the office for a few days.

Wow, completely disagree with the whole thread, here.

If the employee's manager considers issuance of a second laptop justified, and absent some serious policy to override, issue it and move on. What's the big deal?

There are a lot of reasons employees may want a second device. Traveling to different countries, performing different workloads, or simply the inconvenience of disconnecting and reconnecting versus just having a second one around.

If an employee makes $100,000 a year, and they spent 5 minutes each work day plugging/unplugging their main laptop, that's costing the company ~22 hours a year of work time at a rate of $50/hr or so - about $1100 every year. You're "enforcing" a waste of time that could amortize a second laptop within one calendar year.

Penny wise, pound foolish shenanigans. Issue the second laptop and stop policing everyone's good time.

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Wolphin8@reddit

I would turn it around and have it being a policy that to have a second computing device (not just 2 laptops, but a desktop and a laptop, or laptop and windows tablet, etc) needs a good business case signed off by the IT asset manager, their supervisor, and their manager. And there is an additional cost to their department for it. Then it needs to be signed off by senior management. Adding the red tape makes many go "not worth it".

I don't see the reason for most people to have 2 laptops. 2 docking stations (home and office), yes...

M365 is licensed per user, but there is a maximum device per user, but I run PC, Laptop, and Surface Pro, and I still have a device or 2 left).

Nope.

We do not allow users to leave laptops at work. There were too many thefts. Yes, among employees, as terrible as that sounds.

If we see a laptop sitting on a desk at work, the physical security team takes it. You then have to re-sign the end user agreement and promise to never do it again if you want it back.

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a60v@reddit

So what are users supposed to do if they are not going directly between home and work? You could easily end up in a situation where the laptop is in a more theft-prone location than a locked office.

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Maximum_Overdrive@reddit

I would laugh at them. If it went further, i would put in a budget request for an extra person for helpdesk tickets, a new patch management solution, and obviously the costs of the hardware and software required.

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GeneMoody-Action1@reddit

Attack vectors X how many people have this silly belief... Would be where I start, yes that is a ton of overhead and maintenance for user preference. I would toss it back with not "why we should not" to them as "why should we" put the onus on them to produce a real viable use case vs "we want".

Laptop = portable, portable = take it where needed.

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borgib@reddit

Most organizations are money-making businesses very wary of costs. It would be unheard of to buy two laptops for every employee. Why would anyone double their costs for that?

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This is just silly. Take the bloody laptop home.

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HoosierLarry@reddit

What a waste of money. Our accounting method is to charge the department of the user. If the department manager wants to piss away their budget in equipment, license, and support fees then that’s their business I guess.

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Zemerax@reddit

No devices should ever be left onsite it's a walking security risk.

They take it home or get two desktops. 90% they'll suck it up.

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Elensea@reddit

Never heard of 2 laptops lol.

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vppencilsharpening@reddit

We give them a 2nd dock, keyboard, mouse and monitors for home. BUT only one laptop.

Seriously the home setup is like $600. That's less than 15 minutes of extra work a month to payoff in a year.

If they refuse that, I still offer them a 2nd power supply and 2nd mouse to keep at home.

--

That said I do actually have two for one company and a 3rd for my parent company (which we are slowly transitioning more stuff to).

The problems you will encounter are:

You are going to spend 3x as long chasing updates. (Oh I'll definitely remember to do that tonight)
Files saved to one device not available on the other, same for bookmarks, passwords, etc. (yes there are 1000x ways to solve for this, but it WILL still be a problem) "I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed that right now"
If you install software on one, you need to remember to install it on the other (Intune with user based assignments can help, but it will still be a problem)
Nobody is going to tell you when the home laptop has a problem or breaks. You'll only find out when their work laptop has a problem and you ask them to use the home laptop until you can find a fix.
Any device based licenses are now 2x the cost
If you go with old/spare laptops, you will be chasing hardware problems as they will expect them to be the same level of reliability as the work laptop
One of the two is always going to be slightly different and their efficiency at home will be slightly worse.
Some software (like Adobe Creative Cloud) allows you to install on X number of devices, including personal devices (which is really the only nice thing about Adobe CC). Anyway your home laptop counts against that and if the limit is 2, then you lose that benefit.

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I_g0t_u@reddit

Company management needs to all be on the same page that hybrid is a perk/benefit. It is not required. If they cannot meet their work obligations from home because of equipment or environment, they can come to the office 5 days a week.

ElevateTheMind@reddit

Umm what, why? Why can’t they take their laptop home? I doubt yall issue 20” 10 pound behemoth of a laptop.

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Blues-Mariner@reddit

At my company we wouldn’t laugh in the requester’s face, but that’s only because we’re nice. Company does provide me a docking station for home so I can handle multiple monitors, headphones, keybd/mouse bluetooth transceiver, etc etc

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thaughtless@reddit

Provide Remote Desktop services of some kind. Cheaper to operate, improved security.

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Xzenor@reddit

So... Just "no".

Or a verified accommodation that comes through HR.

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gumbrilla@reddit

Yeah, fair enough. I'd do that.

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SP92216@reddit

Cool we need to double size our team. “What do you mean?” Twice the machines twice the work? Doesn’t that make sense. End of conversation.

It's a laptop, it's designed to be brought to and fro.

Escalate to finance and have them deal with the costs

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zambezisa@reddit

Silly request, even if the budget was there, I would say no.

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rgsteele@reddit

Obviously, providing a user with a second laptop isn't ideal, but there can be scenarios where it makes sense. I had a situation where a part-time employee needed a laptop in the office (to move between desks) and worked from home, but also worked at a second job. They had to travel directly from the office to their second job and did not have secure storage available there. So in this case, we provided a second laptop.

On your question about device management, that partly depends on how you are managing your devices. If you're using Intune, it works over the internet. SCCM? You can set up Cloud Management Gateway. Deploying updates with WSUS, or managing devices with some other on-premises solution? You'll likely need a VPN.

If you are using GPOs, those won't work without a VPN. But maybe this is a good excuse to move off of GPO and onto a modern solution like Intune.

That brings me to the devices themselves. If your laptops are domain joined and the user needs to change their password for whatever reason, that's going to be a problem without a VPN. The computer won't pick up the password change until the next time they connect to the corporate network, so the user will need to keep using their old password to sign in to their machine. Again, this may be an opportunity to modernize and move to Entra device join.

As far as criteria that must be met to accept the requests, you want to make this as onerous as possible. Some ideas: require the user to submit a handwritten request that fully explains why they need the second laptop and why they are not able to take their laptop home with them. Require the user bring the laptop in to the office once a month for "updates", or "loss prevention", or some other reason. Et cetera.

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R0B0t1C_Cucumber@reddit

Offer maybe a docking station for their desk so they can just use the one plug to take it home easily or something? I know my company will reimburse too if you need a monitor keyboard mouse etc for WFH.

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Recent_Perspective53@reddit

No

Tell them of the issues creeping in when domain joined devices will rarely check in. It's a disaster so slow you won't notice when it has rolled past you.

It will create a slow stagnation of devices where they will end up as two loose groups. One is easy to support and the other is not. Because who knows what's wrong with it. How far behind on updates and GPOs will the device be when they call for help?

The cost of supporting two different systems will take its toll. And not just on obvious cost, but in support tickets taking longer as well.

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sfc_scannow@reddit

Nooooooope

Hahahaha no

A second laptop is out of the question.

This also is a leadership question.

And, if they want cost? Laptop ~$1000 Lock ~$25 Windows license Crowdstrike or other AV license IT overhead to triage issues with always remote devices.

Risk? Device potentially not getting GPO's pushed down to it, due to not being connected to the network.

Now, alot of these remote administration issues can be fixed with Intune... But, there's a cost for that too... Especially if your environment is primarily On-Prem or Hybrid, and you need to set it up.

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Delusionalatbest@reddit

Best practice is 1 person, 1 device and a phone if their job requires it. Only exception being CEO or VIP who needs a touchscreen/tablet for travel. They meet the criteria for a break glass backup device.

Other wise its. End of discussion.

Just kill the conversation. Point to licencing from antivirus/software, hardware costs/lease, maintenance, sustainability, rising hardware costs, increased operational admin from having a larger fleet.

valenx@reddit

isn't the whole point of a laptop the portability? (We used to have desktops but then people wanted to start working from home (pre-covid))

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MsWinklePicker@reddit

Tell them no. If they need two devices because of ADA accomodations then they can start the conversation with HR.

Everyone else has other great points but one thing to keep in mind is that if your user base isn't tech savvy and stores their files locally (instead of synced with something like OneDrive or on a network share) then they are going to struggle. It might also encourage the use of thumb sticks or portable hard drives to move around their files and that is also a problem when those gets lost, broken, or stolen.

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bloodandsunshine@reddit

People try this all the time at my workplace. 19/20 it’s because they go out after work and don’t want to carry a laptop with them to a bar/restaurant in violation of company policy.

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codewario@reddit

A laptop is a portable device. They should take it with them. If they find themselves having to finagle a litany of cords every time they set up or pack up at the office, then maybe they can work with your department to find a docking solution that fits their needs?

But no, there is zero reason they can't pack up their laptop into a bag and take it home. A second charger or dock for home is a reasonable ask, I'd think. My workplace also provides us one display for WFH although I personally declined as mine are better than what they provide. But not an entire second computer.

If you get overridden by people who can, then just make sure your concerns are documented, do the thing, and get your paycheck.

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Valuable-Dog490@reddit

I worked at a place during Covid that gave me a fairly high end desktop for my desk, plus a light weight laptop to use in the field and home with the ability to connect to the desktop that was onsite.

I thought it was great but found it so wasteful. As a network engineer, the onsite desktop was pretty useful.

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Expensive_Plant_9530@reddit

For me that would be “no”.

You have a laptop… just, take it home?

I’m in the habit of taking my laptop home every single day. You never know.

We can talk about other WFH equipment that would go with your laptop, but you don’t get two laptops, one for office and one for WFH. Otherwise what’s the point of even buying you a laptop to begin with?

Sounds like lazy people who don’t want to carry a laptop home.

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anonpf@reddit

Tell them the additional cost can come out of their department budget.

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No. If they want that portability they get a VDI and have to give their laptop away. At office work off this desktop pc and home get on the vdi

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Weak-Weird163@reddit

As an IT professional I've deal with this a lot. It comes down to people not wanting to carry a laptop to and fro. The result is usually a pita for the IT team - attempting to ensure that the remote device is updated regularly etc. Then you end up with folks who save outside your Onedrive coverage, in folders you're not copying.

Also, are we talking about laptops only or a whole set of peripherals to set up a home desk? My current place does this and its maddening to see the amount of stuff we just waste. We ship direct from Amazon for our remote folks, and we never take back peripherals just the pc's themselves as shipping a monitor costs about as much as buying a new one.

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tf9623@reddit

No - that is bullshit. The whole idea is portability. The personality of their profile and such makes it difficult and the idea of asking for a second portable machine is just baffling. I would talk to your management and convey that. If this is a VIP or VIP assistant the rules don't apply :)

You could run check all of your laptops and see if there are many that haven't phoned home or checked in for a while ( say over 30 days). Those are the laptops in people's trunks. Since those aren't in use if you must provide second laptops have those that aren't being used redeployed.

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wheresbrent@reddit

I have a wfh desktop, and an on-site laptop. My laptop goes with me everywhere on/offsite site and to meetings. Wfh desktop is always there ready to VPN and do work. I don't have to worry about forgetting anything. It helps that the mini pc is half price of a laptop.

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unknwnerrr@reddit

Just HR and Chill man

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g00gleb00gle@reddit

No. Tell them to take it home or come in Office. End off.

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FunkadelicToaster@reddit

Having the laptop is what allows them to work from home, that's the purpose of the laptop, otherwise they should have a desktop.

We have done it for a couple people, the CEO, the CFO, and the CTO mostly because they don't daily carry their laptops home and if something comes up they want to be able to react.

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discgman@reddit

The beauty of a laptop is that it is portable.

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Asleep-Bother-8247@reddit

"No."

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Buddy_Kryyst@reddit

Tell them no, but it's not unreasonable for them to be given a second power adapter to leave one at work and one at home if they aren't using docking stations as those things are forgotten all the time.

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automounter@reddit

are you guys hiring stupid people? this is what you get when you hire stupid people.

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PazzoBread@reddit

Are you providing docking stations for both WFH & Office locations? If docking stations are present I would not be providing 2 laptops. Not only that but how would you replicate their documents, settings, preferences between stations?

If the decision was made for me and I had to implement, I’d provide them a desktop for WFH. That way they cannot travel with it.

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Professional_Mix2418@reddit

ROFLMAO ehm no. They get given a laptop for a reason. What is wrong with some people. And why is this even entertained as a question.

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Millerboycls09@reddit

There are multiple absurdities with this.

Is there not someone in IT Management (director or something) who can out their foot down on this and talk some sense?

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Bird_SysAdmin@reddit

I would not say this is the norm.
My current employer utilizes the process that if you are ever going to expect WFH or offsite then you are issued a laptop, dock station for your desk is setup, and you are given two chargers (legacy from before dock stations charged laptops.).
People are able to request a WFH setup which includes company issued Dock station and Monitors.
We have mobile monitors (usb-c thunderbolt) available for temporary use (like a conference).