Assigning Assets to Users

Assigning assets to users establishes accountability and custody tracking. This guide covers assignment workflows from new hire onboarding to employee offboarding.

What Does Assignment Mean?

Assigning an asset means:

• User is responsible for custody of the asset
• User is accountable if asset is lost, damaged, or stolen
• Asset shows up in user's "My Assets" view
• User receives email notification of assignment

Assignment ≠ Location. See: Assignment vs Location

Who Can Assign Assets?

Role permissions:

• ✅ Owner, Admin, Manager — Can assign assets
• ❌ Viewer — Cannot assign (read-only)

How to Assign an Asset to a User

Method 1: During Asset Creation

When creating a new asset:

1. Fill in asset details (name, serial number, category)
2. Scroll to Assignment section
3. Click Assigned To dropdown
4. Search for user by name or email
5. Select the user
6. Fill in Location (where asset physically is)
7. Click Create Asset

What happens:

• Asset is created and assigned in one step
• User receives email: "Asset #AST-00123 has been assigned to you"

Method 2: After Asset Creation (Editing Existing Asset)

To assign an existing asset:

1. Navigate to asset detail page (use Global Search or Assets list)
2. Click Edit Asset button
3. Scroll to Assigned To field
4. Select user from dropdown
5. Update Location if needed (e.g., "Remote - Employee Home")
6. Click Save Changes

What happens:

• Assignment updated
• User receives email notification
• Previous user (if any) receives "Asset #AST-00123 has been unassigned from you"

Method 3: Quick Assign from Asset List

1. Go to Dashboard → Assets
2. Find asset in list
3. Click ⋮ (three dots) → Assign to User
4. Select user in modal dialog
5. Click Assign

Fastest method for quick assignments.

Assignment Notifications

Email Notifications

When you assign an asset, the user receives an email:

Subject: "Asset #AST-00123 has been assigned to you"

Email body:

• Asset name and serial number
• Description: Dell Latitude 5520 (#AST-00123)
• Link to asset detail page
• Instructions: "You are now responsible for this asset. Please contact IT if you have questions."

Sender: noreply@uniasset.app

In-App Notifications

User also sees notification in UniAsset:

• Click bell icon (top-right)
• See "Asset #AST-00123 assigned to you"
• Click notification to view asset details

Viewing User's Assigned Assets

As the Assigned User

User can see their assigned assets:

1. Log in to UniAsset
2. Click My Assets (sidebar or user menu)
3. View list of all assets assigned to them

As Admin/Manager

To see what assets a specific user has:

1. Go to Dashboard → Assets
2. Apply filter: Assigned To = [User Name]
3. View list of user's assets

OR:

1. Go to Settings → Users (Admin only)
2. Click user's name
3. View Assigned Assets tab

Use case: Offboarding checklist—see all assets to collect from departing employee

Unassigning Assets

When to Unassign

• Employee leaves company (offboarding)
• Asset being returned to inventory
• Transferring asset to different user

How to Unassign

Method 1: Clear Assignment Field

1. Edit asset
2. Click Assigned To dropdown
3. Select "(Unassigned)" or clear the field
4. Update Location (e.g., "HQ - IT Storage Room")
5. Save changes

Method 2: Reassign to New User

1. Edit asset
2. Change Assigned To from "Old User" to "New User"
3. Save changes

What happens:

• Old user receives "Asset #AST-00123 has been unassigned from you"
• New user receives "Asset #AST-00123 has been assigned to you"

Common Assignment Scenarios

Scenario 1: New Employee Onboarding

Situation: Jane Smith joins as Finance Manager, needs laptop and phone

Steps:

1. Select available assets:

   • Filter assets: Category = "Computers & IT", Status = "Active", Assigned To = "Unassigned"
   • Find available laptop (#AST-00456) and phone (#AST-00789)

2. Assign laptop:

   • Edit laptop #AST-00456
   • Assigned To: Jane Smith
   • Location: Remote - Employee Home (Jane works remotely)
   • Save

3. Assign phone:

   • Edit phone #AST-00789
   • Assigned To: Jane Smith
   • Location: Remote - Employee Home
   • Save

Result:

• Jane receives 2 email notifications
• Jane's "My Assets" shows laptop and phone
• Assets tracked for accountability

Scenario 2: Employee Offboarding

Situation: Bob Jones leaving company, needs to return assets

Steps:

1. Generate return checklist:

   • Dashboard → Assets
   • Filter: Assigned To = "Bob Jones"
   • Export to PDF
   • Give to HR for offboarding checklist

2. As assets are returned, unassign:

   • Laptop returned → Edit, set Assigned To = (blank), Location = "HQ - IT Storage"
   • Phone returned → Edit, set Assigned To = (blank), Location = "HQ - IT Storage"

3. Verify all assets returned:

   • Filter: Assigned To = "Bob Jones"
   • If empty, all assets returned ✅

Scenario 3: Transferring Asset Between Users

Situation: Transfer laptop from John (leaving role) to Sarah (new role)

Steps:

1. Edit laptop
2. Change Assigned To from "John Smith" to "Sarah Wilson"
3. Update Location if Sarah is in different office
4. Update Department if switching departments
5. Save changes

What happens:

• John receives "unassigned" notification
• Sarah receives "assigned" notification
• Audit trail logs transfer: "Assigned To changed from John Smith to Sarah Wilson by Admin on 2024-06-15"

Scenario 4: Shared Equipment (No Assignment)

Situation: Conference room projector—no single owner

Solution:

• Leave Assigned To field BLANK
• Set Location: "HQ - Conference Room B"
• Set Status: Active

Why no assignment?

• Shared equipment doesn't have single custodian
• Location tracking is sufficient
• Prevents unnecessary assignment notifications

Assignment Best Practices

1. Assign High-Value and Personal Equipment Only

Do assign:

• ✅ Laptops, phones, tablets (personal use)
• ✅ Company vehicles (specific driver)
• ✅ Power tools (assigned to technician)

Don't assign:

• ❌ Shared conference room equipment
• ❌ Office printers
• ❌ Fixed building equipment (HVAC, elevators)

2. Update Location When Assigning

Always set both fields:

• Assigned To: User responsible
• Location: Physical location

Example:

• Assigned To: Jane Smith
• Location: Remote - Employee Home (Jane works from home)

3. Verify User Exists Before Assigning

• User must be invited and active in Settings → Users
• Use user's exact email address (for CSV imports)
• Typos in email = "User not found" error

4. Use Assignment for Offboarding Checklists

During offboarding:

1. Export list of user's assigned assets
2. Give list to HR/manager
3. Check off as assets returned
4. Unassign in UniAsset when physically received

5. Track Assignment History

UniAsset automatically logs assignment changes:

• View Change History on asset detail page
• See who had the asset and when
• Useful for investigations ("Who had the laptop when it was damaged?")

Troubleshooting

User didn't receive assignment email

Causes:

• Email in spam folder
• User email address incorrect
• Corporate email filter blocked email

Solutions:

• Ask user to check spam
• Whitelist noreply@uniasset.app
• Verify user email in Settings → Users

"User not found" error when assigning

Cause: User doesn't exist in your organization

Solution:

• Invite user first: Settings → Users → Invite User
• Wait for user to accept invitation (status = Active)
• Then assign asset

Can't unassign asset

Cause: You might be a Viewer (read-only)

Solution: Ask Admin to promote you to Manager role

Asset shows as assigned but user says they don't have it

Possible causes:

• Asset was reassigned but location not updated
• User returned asset but admin forgot to unassign
• Data entry error

Solution:

1. Verify with user: "Do you currently have laptop #AST-00123?"
2. If NO: Edit asset, unassign, update location to actual location
3. If YES but they say they never received it: Check Change History to see when/who assigned it

Related Articles

• Assignment vs Location — Understanding the difference
• Creating Your First Asset — Asset creation guide
• Editing Assets — Update asset details
• User Management — Invite and manage users

Need Help?

If you encounter issues with asset assignment, contact support at support@uniasset.app.