When leaving a job at a Japanese company, the things you need to return are not limited to a laptop or company phone. Employee ID cards, building access cards, keys, uniforms, work clothes, and name badges are all common examples of company property. Depending on the workplace, even items such as a company lapel pin or locker key may need to be returned.
Small items like these are easy to forget. After using an employee ID card or name badge every day, it can start to feel like a personal possession. But that does not make it your personal property. It is better to check in advance exactly what must be returned before your final day.
Business cards also deserve some attention. Even though your own name is printed on them, they also contain the company name, department, and job title. Some companies have rules about whether unused cards should be returned or disposed of. In any case, you should not continue using business cards from a company after you have left it.
There is also more to deal with than physical objects. Paper documents, customer lists, USB drives, and other materials may contain company information. Even if you created a document yourself, or bought a USB drive with your own money, that does not make the company data stored on it your personal property.
The same applies if you used your own smartphone or home computer for work. The device itself belongs to you, but company documents and customer information stored on it are a separate matter. When leaving, you may need to return certain data or delete information that you are not allowed to keep, following the company’s instructions.
So there are really two things to check before leaving: whether you still have any company property, and whether you still have any company information in your possession.
The exact rules differ from one company to another. Rather than relying on memory and assuming that you have returned everything, check the company’s departure procedures or return checklist. If you are unsure about an item, ask HR or your manager.
Leaving a Japanese company is not always as simple as clearing your desk and handing back your computer. From small items such as ID cards and name badges to information that has no physical form, everything connected to the job needs to be properly sorted out before you leave.
