All tech companies provide laptops to their full-time employees and 20% even provide allowances for other home-office equipment. Laptops are a crucial tool for software developers so it makes sense that a company would provide them for free. Their work simply would not get done without a laptop.
Around 4.7 million employees in the U.S. report that they now work remotely at least half the time. The sheer number of people working remotely means having individual desktop computers at a workstation in the office is a thing of the past.
It isn’t just a tech industry trend either. All office-based employees should expect to get a laptop as part of the hardware they receive on the first day. It should be a major red flag if a company makes you bring your computer to work.
Let’s take a closer look at what percentage of tech companies give their staff laptops and then look at the reasons why providing computer hardware is essential.
Do software companies provide laptops?
All software companies provide laptops to their employees as standard procedures. Around 14% of companies also provide allowances for additional ergonomic home-office furniture. If you are lucky, you may be part of the 10% of employees who also have their internet bills covered by their employer.
If a company doesn’t provide you with a laptop on your first day, it is a cause for concern. They should also be sending a mouse, keyboard, monitor, and anything else that helps you get your work done. It gives businesses peace of mind knowing you have everything you need to produce good work.
Shopify and Twitter both announced they are giving $1000 to each remote worker to set up their home office. It is now becoming a standard practice for the majority of desk-based jobs. The specific amount you’ll receive will demand on the company but its also a tool being used to attract people in the recruitment process. Remember that companies are saving a small fortune in office bills by you working at home. So it benefits them to sweeten the deal.
The only time you shouldn’t expect to receive a laptop or other equipment is if you are a contractor. A lot of employers may still provide a laptop but you won’t get all of the small extras that make life a little bit easier.
Lending not owning
Most companies stipulate that you have to return your laptop when you finish working for them. It would prove costly to give everyone that walked through the door a brand new MacBook Pro. So for laptops, it’s a case of them lending you the equipment not giving it to you.
However, in terms of furniture that you buy with your allowance, most companies allow you to keep these. The hassle of returning them to the employer often outweighs the benefits of them asking you to return them. So many software engineers are getting to keep the standing desk and comfy chairs for their home office.
Why do tech companies provide laptops?
Having a dedicated computer makes it easier to get work done. You have things set up how you like and get used to how the machine works. Productivity can also increase because you install browser-specific add-ons and apps that help your workflow.
But the main reasons why tech companies provide laptops are:
Getting things done
How are employees supposed to do any work if they don’t have the equipment to perform the tasks? Companies can’t just assume everyone has a top-of-the-range laptop to work on. Most software engineers don’t even need high-performance machines except for those in AI and computer graphics. A factory worker isn’t expected to bring their tools in a similar fashion a developer isn’t required to bring his own laptop.
Control
Companies can roll out group policies to update and control the applications you have on your machine. It means they can prevent people from accidentally installing malicious applications or not upgrading to the latest version of a specific app. Overall, it gives them more control over their employees and means they can keep an eye on them.
Quality
With a high-quality laptop, your outputs are better. Not everyone needs a top-of-the-range machine but if your computer is sluggish it can break up the rhythm of your day. By providing good tools, a company can ensure your work will be done to good quality.
Security
The number of people that accidentally download malicious files onto their computer is incredible. With a work machine, they can guarantee that certain firewall and virus software is installed. It reduces the overall risk to the business and prevents any intellectual property leaks.
Company image
Client-facing businesses don’t want their employees meeting customers with shoddy-looking laptops. It doesn’t reflect well on the business or the employee. By providing laptops you can help shape your company image and make sure people aren’t turning up to clients with laptops held together with duct tape.
Should a company provide a laptop?
If your daily tasks revolve around using a computer then your company should be providing you with a laptop. In the tech-focused modern working environment, it isn’t acceptable to make people bring in their own equipment. The only exception to this is if you are a contractor working on a short-term basis at a business.
For people that don’t often use a computer, it is slightly different. A lot of businesses have shared workstations set up so that people can use a computer when they need to. Rather than providing a separate machine for each employee.
It should raise some alarms if you interview at a modern tech company and they don’t provide a laptop. Even startups, that don’t have a lot of cash, will always provide a laptop for software engineers. It is nearly impossible to code without a laptop, so if they don’t give you one, no work will get done.
What laptop does Google give employees?
When you join Google you have a choice of laptop, but most employees at Google use either:
- MacBook – These are incredibly popular and the MacBook Pro 13” and MacBook Pro 15″ tend to be the ones most employees go for.
- Chromebooks – These have become increasingly popular with new Google recruits and tend to be the go-to if your computer is playing up. Interns also get given Chromebooks for their work.
- Windows-based – These tend to be used specifically for applications that don’t run on Mac or by Power Users.
What laptop does Facebook give employees?
When you join Facebook you can expect to be given a laptop and a phone. Similar to Google, Facebook employees most commonly use Apple MacBooks. The 13” and 15” MacBook Pro is the most common device. For Windows-based users, Lenovo Thinkpads is the go-to laptop of choice, with the T-series being the most common.
A front-end Facebook engineer reported that almost no Google employees have desktop computers. The only exception is for those that work in virtual reality. You may also be given more than one mobile phone if you are running through a lot of testing.
The social networking giant trusts Apple’s MacBooks and Lenovo Thinkpads for its employees.
What laptop does Microsoft give employees?
Microsoft doesn’t tend to offer employees MacBooks because they are a direct competitor. Instead, the tech giant relies heavily on Lenovo laptops for all of its employees.
However, certain departments in Microsoft will provide its employees with Macs. The team that works on Microsoft Office for Mac needs the devices for testing, the same is true for iOS-specific applications.
Resources
Nathan Britten, the founder and editor of Developer Pitstop, is a self-taught software engineer with nearly five years of experience in front-end technologies. Nathan created the site to provide simple, straightforward knowledge to those interested in technology, helping them navigate the industry and better understand their day-to-day roles.
