Chapter 2 of 8 · 4 checks · 2 min
Keep your own documents and contacts
After a layoff, access to work systems can end the same hour. Keep personal copies of what belongs to you, and never take what belongs to the company.
Keep personal copies of your contract, payslips and tax documentsMust
Why it matters and how to check
Your contract, offer letter, any amendments, payslips, tax certificates, bonus and equity letters, and benefits enrolment details are your records. You will need them to check severance, claim benefits, file tax and prove your employment history.
Download them from the HR portal into your own storage regularly. Do not rely on getting access after you leave.
Check it: you have personal copies of your contract, the last year of payslips, tax documents and any equity or bonus letters.
Do
- Download payslips every month from the HR portal
- Keep a copy of your equity grant and vesting schedule
Avoid
- Storing your only copy in a work email account
Never copy company code, customer data or confidential documentsMust
Why it matters and how to check
Keeping your own records is fine. Taking source code, customer lists, internal documents or credentials is not, and can breach your contract and the law. It can also cost you a severance payment or a reference.
If you are unsure whether something is yours, assume it is the company's.
Check it: nothing in your personal storage or repositories belongs to the company.
Do
- Keep only documents addressed to you as an employee
Avoid
- Forwarding internal documents to personal email
- Pushing company code to a personal repository
Keep personal contact details for colleagues you trustShould
Why it matters and how to check
Work chat and email disappear on your last day, and so do your colleagues' work addresses. Connect with the people you work closely with on LinkedIn or swap personal contact details.
These are the people who will tell you about openings and act as references.
Check it: you can reach your manager and your closest colleagues outside company systems.
Do
- Connect on LinkedIn with people you work with closely
Avoid
- Waiting until after the layoff to ask for contact details
Keep personal accounts off work devices and work emailMust
Why it matters and how to check
If your personal email, password manager, bank or two-factor authenticator lives on your work laptop or phone, losing that device can lock you out of your own life.
Move personal accounts to personal devices, and make sure two-factor recovery codes are stored somewhere you control.
Check it: if your work devices were taken away today, you would lose no access to any personal account.
Do
- Store two-factor recovery codes outside work devices
Avoid
- Using your work email as the login for personal services