Theft in the Workplace
Professor Marin
MGT 3211
11 February 2014
Theft in the Workplace
The Company I was working for, at the time, had a firm policy regarding cases of theft of company property. As equipment becomes old and outdated new equipment is purchased while the old equipment is placed on a table to be sold by bid each month. One day I see a valued employee (bob) who is 2 months away from retirement slip an electric drill from the table and put it in his car before the day of the sale. From an ethical standpoint, I know stealing and theft is wrong but given the credentials of Bob, and all he’s done for the company, I was torn between what to do. On one hand, Bob was stealing property from the company out right, there was no denying that, and he knew that. On the other hand, he’s worked for this company for 25 years, and to let a $60 drill completely ruin his career with this company, and potentially affect his retirement benefits, just seemed so wrong. The burning question I kept trying to answer was “Should I say something? Or just act like I never saw it?”
My position on the matter was difficult to arrive to, yet in the end I did what I’d want done for me. I looked at the situation from both sides of view, the company and Bob’s and tried to get a grasp of the bigger picture. I knew the company’s policy was correct, after all they did for its employees, theft was not acceptable. Yet, while looking from Bob’s point of view I could see how he thought 1 little drill couldn’t hurt the company; after all he’s done. My Position: I approached Bob, told him that I saw what he did, and asked him to do the right thing and place the drill back on the table. I reminded him of all he stood to lose and told him that I wouldn’t speak of this matter to anyone if he would do the right thing. But if not, then I have a moral duty to my company to tell them about what I had seen. Bob said he understood, and said he wasn’t really thinking clearly, and replaced the drill.
MGT 3211
11 February 2014
Theft in the Workplace
The Company I was working for, at the time, had a firm policy regarding cases of theft of company property. As equipment becomes old and outdated new equipment is purchased while the old equipment is placed on a table to be sold by bid each month. One day I see a valued employee (bob) who is 2 months away from retirement slip an electric drill from the table and put it in his car before the day of the sale. From an ethical standpoint, I know stealing and theft is wrong but given the credentials of Bob, and all he’s done for the company, I was torn between what to do. On one hand, Bob was stealing property from the company out right, there was no denying that, and he knew that. On the other hand, he’s worked for this company for 25 years, and to let a $60 drill completely ruin his career with this company, and potentially affect his retirement benefits, just seemed so wrong. The burning question I kept trying to answer was “Should I say something? Or just act like I never saw it?”
My position on the matter was difficult to arrive to, yet in the end I did what I’d want done for me. I looked at the situation from both sides of view, the company and Bob’s and tried to get a grasp of the bigger picture. I knew the company’s policy was correct, after all they did for its employees, theft was not acceptable. Yet, while looking from Bob’s point of view I could see how he thought 1 little drill couldn’t hurt the company; after all he’s done. My Position: I approached Bob, told him that I saw what he did, and asked him to do the right thing and place the drill back on the table. I reminded him of all he stood to lose and told him that I wouldn’t speak of this matter to anyone if he would do the right thing. But if not, then I have a moral duty to my company to tell them about what I had seen. Bob said he understood, and said he wasn’t really thinking clearly, and replaced the drill.
Cited: Tom L. Beauchamp, Norman E. Bowie, and Denis G. Arnold Ethical Theory and Business, 8th ed., Prentice Hall. James Rachels and Stuart Rachels The Right Thing to Do, 5th ed., McGraw Hill.