Need Opinions - Manager Theft
MHarris
20 Posts
What to do????
A twenty year manager with our company was caught stealing funds that should have been credited back to the company on a purchase of materials. He completed a form that he would accept this "rebate" in cash and signed his name and social security number to it. At first he was very defensive in his admittance of it but later he was very remorseful. He was suspended for one full week pending a decision on his status with the company and required to payback the sum of money.
The dilemma is where to draw the line with theft in a company. Do you fire someone you thought was a dedicated employee for stealing over $1,000 - a twenty year employee at that! The owners are concerned about making an example and what precedence this will set for any future violations. If they decide to let him continue his employment,will they ever be able to trust him?
Any opinions on what you would do or have done in a situation like this. Are there any specific issues that you think we need to address with this?
A twenty year manager with our company was caught stealing funds that should have been credited back to the company on a purchase of materials. He completed a form that he would accept this "rebate" in cash and signed his name and social security number to it. At first he was very defensive in his admittance of it but later he was very remorseful. He was suspended for one full week pending a decision on his status with the company and required to payback the sum of money.
The dilemma is where to draw the line with theft in a company. Do you fire someone you thought was a dedicated employee for stealing over $1,000 - a twenty year employee at that! The owners are concerned about making an example and what precedence this will set for any future violations. If they decide to let him continue his employment,will they ever be able to trust him?
Any opinions on what you would do or have done in a situation like this. Are there any specific issues that you think we need to address with this?
Comments
My question to you now would be, "Is this the first time he's stolen funds from you".
LFernandes
While there can be extenuating circumstances, and an ee given a second chance might be a grateful and productive ee, the discriminatin risks and the mixed message that gets sent is not worth it. Terminate.
I have seen worse in my HR years; but none are so dirty as a thief who comes in the night, with the intent to do continuous harm.
Who has not been caught with the hand in the cook jar? or told a white lie, but a lie still! A thief is a thief, is a thief, is a thief regardless of the amount, what is most important is the manager's sole!!! How big is the heart of the owners?
PORK
JAMES PLEASE UNCLICK MY CHECK HERE FOR THE NUMEROUS ALERTS TO NEW OR DIFFERENT THREADS. I CHOOSE TO MOVE ON, THERE IS NO SAVING THIS SOLE! PORK
I would have to question how dedicated an employee is who will steal over $1000 regardless of length of service. However, I would agree that the owners will need to determine the acceptable level of theft they are willing to absorb. Whatever level is acceptable for a manager must be acceptable for all and $1000 seems rather high. Being a retail store, we have lots of big and little goodies around from cosmetics to consumable items that some clerks and cashiers feel free to take. We have a zero tolerance for theft and will terminate for dollars.
Good luck.
Elizabeth
Theft is theft. Does not matter. At my last employer I caught a 24 year employee, very high level who took two drill bits for work he was doing on a new home he was building. The company store was just about to have a sale, so inventory was just done, one of the people who did the inventory noticed the items missing and reported it. Total value, less than $50.00, and these were items given to us by a vendor. Had he asked for them, his boss or the person in charge of the store would have given them to him.
But he stole them, once a thief, always a thief. He was terminated. In a past life we terminated someone who stole a $0.35 cent bag of chips. A thief is a thief, does not matter tenure, or the value of the item.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
I meant what if the newer employee that you do term is a protected class. I realize that theft is termination for cause, I just wanted to clarify that if you do not term the manager then you better be careful if there is type incident happens later with possibly another employee (possibly in a protected class, you can find yourself in hot water.
FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, immediately.
I am not saying he should not be terminated, but "made an example of"? I would personally rather not go there.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
I'M OUT OF HERE, GOT TO GO PRAY FOR THE LIKES OF MY PROFESSIONAL BRETHEN & EAT MORE PORK!!!
PORK
MY GOODNESS ANOTHER ONE GOT IN BEFORE I COULD GET THIS LITTLE POSTING ON-BOARD; NOW IT IS 21 TO 1!
Chari
This has been a tough decision for our "family-owned" business but we were learning toward the termination all along and everyone's comments here helped to cement the difficult choice we had to make.
And Pork...we are forgiving and very much aware of our own frailties...but this day and age we often have no other choice but to take the hard line.
Thanks again for all of the input.
PORK
and now we are out of here!
One of the things I appreciate about my position in HR - it is my job to give the pros and cons of a situation and the legal aspects, and the legal risk factors of managements choices. It is their dicision to make.
If this ee was with the company for so long and it being family owned wouldn't you think that he coud have asked the owners for whatever the item(s)were and made payments to the company instead of going this route. In my opinion coming from a family owned company anyone can ask the owners for anything and arrangements would be made to accomodate as much as possible, so this is probably not the first time he has stolen from the company but the only time caught and that is why he is showing signs of remorse.
JUST MY .02 cents worth
That's it from me.