I had been working at my company for about two years, and everything was generally fine except for one ongoing problem: my work laptop broke six months ago. I immediately submitted an IT ticket and asked the administrator for a replacement, but nothing happened. I followed up repeatedly, yet my requests were ignored. Eventually, my manager casually told me to use my personal laptop instead, saying, “Everyone does it,” as though I were being unreasonable for questioning the arrangement.

The problem was that my personal laptop contained private photos, banking information, personal files, and other sensitive data. I also knew the company had security policies regarding where company information could be stored. When I explained my concerns, my manager laughed and told me I should be grateful that I even had a job. I wasn’t refusing to work—I simply believed the company should provide the proper equipment needed to do my job safely and securely.

Instead of arguing with her, I decided to protect myself. I gathered every IT ticket I had submitted, all the unanswered emails, and every message in which my manager had explicitly instructed me to store company information on my personal computer. I kept everything organized so there would be a clear record showing that I had repeatedly requested a company device and that the delay wasn’t my fault.

Finally, I forwarded the documentation to HR, mainly to protect myself in case using my personal laptop eventually caused a security or privacy problem. What started as a simple request for a replacement work computer had now become an issue involving company policy, data security, and my manager’s behavior. For the first time, I realized that keeping detailed records might be the only thing protecting me if the company later tried to blame me for a situation I had repeatedly warned them about.