HotSpots

they are legally required to surrender the key upon termination of employment, no matter who does the terminating

tanthisbak

They can turn the key in when they pick up their final check.

clubtan1

They are "Legaly Required" to return the property of their employer upon termination. But what if the don't? You have the right to bring that civil matter to court. Can you hold their paycheck "Legaly"? In most states, NO! EVEN if they failed to bring back a key, shirt or anything else that belongs to you. They EARNED that paycheck and it legally belongs to them. If you hold it, your State Labor Board will probably rule in the employee's favor. If you bring up the key issue to them, they will tell you that's a civil matter having nothing to do with labor laws. They wont even take that into consideration. Now, that's not to say you can't try to bluff your way through with the offending employee. I usually tell employee's that have not returned my key that they have 24 hours to do so or I will file a police report stating you no longer have the authority to have a key and if the store should suffer a loss, you'll be the first person they will bring in for questioning. I usually get the key right back.

Ezliving_Jim

Employees sign an agreement before being assigned a key. It details key security, procedures and an authorization for payroll deduction for costs of rekeying locks and key duplication when necessary. It is the employee's financial responsibility if the key is lost or not returned immediately upon request. The "authorization for payroll deduction" portion of the agreement eliminates challanges.

John S. Soet

If a person resigns, this person is obligated to turn in the key and all materials on the spot. In most states you can't withhold pay, but if the termination is voluntary, you can wait until the next scheduled payday to pay them. If you terminate them, you have to pay them on the spot (again in most states). In Cali (the left coast, not Colombia), you have to pay them or they're still considered to be working for you, whether they come in or not, until they receive that check.

If you let the employee have a key and it's just a conventional locking system, you have to rekey as you don't know if the key has been duplicated or not. I personally like the idea of an alarm that can be recoded by you -- that way, if someone does try to enter -- busted!

TheBeachStop

What he said. /\/\/\/\/\

We have a monitored alarm. Different code for each person who opens (2), plus a master and temp code which changes when I feel like changing it (with cause or course). I really don't care if they make 200 copies of the key, if they don't know the new alarm codes (which all are changed when an employee leaves), local cops are only 60 seconds away. Besides that, the alarm gives us a big break on our liability insurance.

mr belvedere

Right after they've made several copies at Home Depot. That's when an ex-employee should return their key. The better question I think is this: How soon should I have my locks changed after a trusted employee with free access to the premises quits? Answer: pretty soon. Good luck.

CentralVA

until you get the key, they don't get their check.
period. dot.

Tommy

For other TSOs following this thread,
1) It's illegal in some states to hold an employee's check.
2) Even if they turn in A key, it doesn't mean it is the ONLY key.
3) Even if it is legal in your state to STEAL money from an employee to pay for your mistake of not buying combination lock, it's just WRONG, and "opens the door" for employees to justify stealing from you.
4) Just change to combination after EVERY employee leaves.

period. dot.

Tom

Bronzedgoddess

I would change the locks ASAP. It is nothing to have new copies made. I had an employee leave on good terms and let her keep a key "in case of an emergency" on my part until the police called to tell me she was tanning at midnight!