You do not need an HR platform, an asset-management subscription, or new software to run a clean separation day. The Employee Separation & Property Recovery kit was built for the tools a small business already has: a free PDF reader for the inventory, receipt, and shutoff checklist, and either Excel or Google Sheets to count what came back and what is still out.
What software opens and edits it
The kit arrives as PDFs and one spreadsheet, in five files. The flat printable PDFs — US Letter and A4, plus an ink-friendly black-and-white version — open in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Apple Preview, Apple Files on iPhone and iPad, Files by Google on Android, and most modern web browsers. Use those versions to print the Property Return Inventory and Return Receipt so both parties can sign paper copies at the meeting.
The fillable PDF is the working version for most managers. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) on your phone, tablet, or desktop and tap-type into 189 fields: the inventory lines, the receipt and deadline, the access shutoff record, the final-pay worksheet, and the follow-up log. Completing the inventory on a tablet as items are handed over keeps the record accurate in the moment, instead of reconstructed afterward. Because a completed kit holds sensitive employment information, save it in a private, secure location you control, and keep access limited to the people who genuinely need it.
The Property Tracker is an.xlsx file. It works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice Calc. Google Sheets is the easiest free option if you do not own Excel: upload the file to Google Drive, open it as a Sheet, and items out versus returned, total estimated value, returned versus still-out value, and overdue follow-up flags calculate as you enter items. Demo data is included — review how it works, then replace it with your own records.
What devices it works on
- iPhone and iPad — fillable PDF in Files or Acrobat Reader; ideal for checking items in during the meeting
- Android phones and tablets — fillable PDF in Acrobat Reader; tracker in Google Sheets
- Windows and Mac desktop — best for building the inventory from asset records before the day, and for the final-pay worksheet
- Any office printer — US Letter or A4, color or the included ink-friendly black-and-white version, for signed paper copies
A practical setup is desktop before the day, phone or tablet during it: build the inventory at your desk, check items in live, then close access and file the record the same afternoon.
What pairs with it
The kit pairs with the records you already keep — purchase receipts, serial-number lists, and your own payroll records — read against the inventory and worksheet pages so every line traces to a source. A single personnel file, physical or digital, keeps the signed receipt, shutoff record, and closeout together. [Affiliate slot: locking document organizer] [Affiliate slot: label printer for asset tags] On the DealShore shelf, it pairs well with the 1099 vs W-2 Audit Self-Defense Dossier for worker records, the Subcontractor Compliance Packet for contractor files, and the Workplace Harassment Log where a documented history precedes a separation.
Honest comparison: this kit vs. doing it manually
You can run separation day from a notebook and a memory, and many small businesses do — until a key is unaccounted for, a login stays open, or a final-pay question has no worksheet behind it. Scattered notes usually lose the sequence: no serial numbers, no signed receipt, no shutoff record, and no dated follow-up if property stays out. Generic HR form bundles give you isolated documents without the day itself — the timeline, the ground rules for a calm meeting, and the closeout that proves the file is complete. An attorney or HR advisor can guide a difficult separation, usually at professional cost; this kit helps you arrive at that conversation with the facts already organized, and it is explicit that it states no law, deadline, or pay rule as applying to you. Its job is narrower: property back, access closed, file complete.
This kit is a general organization tool with worksheets for you to complete from your own records. It is not legal advice, consult an attorney or a qualified HR advisor about your situation.
Get the kit
CONTROL. Get the Employee Separation & Property Recovery Agreement for $14.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com