Ethical question

[chefteldanielle]

I have noticed at school alot of pilferage goes on.
Iam sure in the industry it is rampent.
Would you say something to either your boss or the person actually doing the stealing if you noticed that he or she was doing it?
Thanks
Danielle

[W.DeBord]

Great question! If I caught the person red handed I'd make an huge scene and march them to the person in charge. I would demand that they would be released permently from school. If this was a teacher I'd go screaming to the top and make SURE they were fired! But I'm also much older than you and can get away with making a scene.

Sadly, from my experience this happens alot in the food bis. At my work we only have 4 full time females who have lockers. Since we know each other well no one (but me) closes and locks their locker. It's amazing, about every other new hire goes thru the girls purses stealing money on their first day (as if no one would notice). These new girls never stop to realize how obvious it will be that they showed up and everyones money disapeared. Once the discusion of missing money gets heard by the new girl she never returns to work.

Now here's the part I can't get....the regulars still won't close their purses in their cars or lockers. Over a couple of years some of them have lost quite a bit of money. Good for them they taught that new girl a lesson.....right out of their un-re-embursed pocket??????????

I think you should always do whatever you can to stop bad situations from happening in all situations! Live as a member in your community.

But first you should control your-self and your own property. If you've ever lived in a big city it's about street smarts. Be aware of your surroundings and your possesions at all times and if you can't, place them in a SECURE locked place so you can pay attention to the tasks at hand!

[snakelady1]

Stealing is rampant where ever I have worked
some of the biggest thieves though were the managers. In my last position I was told several times to adjust the inventory because one of the other managers were suppling their private home parties with stuff I had in storage. This was very frustrating because I don't steal. My director said "Look at it as one of the perks of the job" Sometimes I think I should just be in business by myself I am of an opinion that the salary I earn is compensation for the job not all the food I can take home..... I remember a story of a manager getting caught with a tenderloin taped to his leg lol

[kokopuffs]

Off on a tangent. Y'all would not realize the amount of stolen government property the furnishes the garages of government employees: oscilloscopes, snap on tools, hardware and etc.. I've watched for many years government employees unload trunkloads of pilferage - daily. It's like mannah (sp) from heaven. And look who is paying for it. Our taxes. I wouldn't hire a former government employee - NEVER.

[ April 09, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]

Speaking as a state employee for 15 years, I have never seen anyone steal stuff. There are a lot of government employees out there that are honestly trying to do a good job and are honest. There are a few that make us all look bad. I think that government employees should not be singled out. I am sure that dishonesty occurs in the private sector as well.

Just my 2 cents...

[Anneke]

As a former government employee I can attest to the fact that ethics was never a prime concern at the ministry, just the appearance of ethics. Sure pens and paper clips disappeared at an alarming rate, but worse than that, the real theft was in respect to time. In the tax department, people worked about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day and goofed off for the rest of the day. It was disgusting and I vowed never to work for the public sector again. Sorry, don't mean to offend any serious and honest government workers out there. My dad was one of the honest ones. This situation makes you guys look bad too. It's just so wrong!

Danielle, as for stealing at the work place, I'm thinking it's a culture that begins in cooking school. I was shocked when one of our teachers was asking the name of a cut of meat he had just sliced off and vacuum packed in front of the class. We were all struggling to find the correct name. He laughed and said: "it's called a perk". He doesn't seem to have a problem with it, and makes us understand that it's the norm in the industry and repeatedly tells us that he and his collegues did it regularly.

If you feel that reporting these people is the right way to go, then follow your conscience. Just be careful how you do it: because of this culture, you are the one who might seem like the bad guy. Think of your approach and the consequence of your actions. I would probably go to the person of authority and say "if someone was stealing from your inventory, would you want to know about it?" Use his or her reaction to determine how much you should talk.

[kokopuffs]

To Serious_Amateur:

What I wrote is my actual, direct, eye-witnessed experience at all navy bases where I grew up. Such actions occurred among military personnel as well as civil servants. True to your experience, a government administrator is less likely to steal (pens, small potatos and such) than someone working in supply (tools, hardware, electronic equipment...).
The local gunclub was built of and with pilfered equipment. Nothing personal against you but if you could see what I have seen, it would blow your mind. Yes, there are good govt employees. Hopefully, though, that naval base will be shut down during the next round of base closures. Then those employees will have to find a real job.