My Macbook Pro often hangs up at shutdown - what should I do? My system:

  System Version: macOS 10.13.6 (17G5019)
  Kernel Version: Darwin 17.7.0
  Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
  Boot Mode: Normal
  Model Name: MacBook Pro
  Model Identifier: MacBookPro14,3
  Processor Name: Intel Core i7
  Processor Speed: 2.9 GHz
  Number of Processors: 1
  Total Number of Cores: 4
  L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
  L3 Cache: 8 MB
  Memory: 16 GB
  Boot ROM Version: 185.0.0.0.0
  SMC Version (system): 2.45f0


With alarmingly increasing frequency, when I shutdown my Mac at the end of the work day, it hangs. This means that I have to stop it by keeping the Touch ID button pressed - with the result that when I turn my Mac on again, OSX complains about the forced shutdown. I'm worried this may compromise the stability of my system, and maybe even the life of my Mac. 

This is a company machine, so probably the best thing to do would be to log a case for IT and wait for them to solve the issue. However, I'm on a long business trip and I likely won't be able to give them my laptop before the end of the month. Is there anything I can do on my side, to reduce the risk of instabilities/life reduction?
Often, hard drives that won't unmount, or network shares that can't unmount will prevent your system from shutting down completely. 

Right before you shutdown, check the contents of /Volumes and see if there is anything unexpected in there.