Quote:
Originally Posted by wkbb
Hello all,
I am in a bit of a dilemma as to whether I should be doing the right thing or be a team player and not 'snitch' out a fellow employee and would like to seek some advice.
I work as a valet for a company that has many clients such as hotels and restaurants. We dont really have supervision and we are left to do our own thing after basic training.
A coworker I have been working with for the last month has questionable work ethics and I have been contemplating whether I should report his actions to hr. We work 2 days a week and every week when it is slow we would take turns leaving early and since the beginning I know he has been cheating work hours by claiming he left later than he did. I have also witnessed him not offering a customer their $19 change back. He also told me to use this method to ensure good tips and even suggested that I should tell customers I do not have change to offer. Other minor things such as ridiculing me for opening taxi doors when we are "not at a high end place, therefore no tips" and suggesting we shouldn't bother doing a detailed damage check "because they would have to prove that i did it" are also my concerns.
My biggest concern would be whether or not the company will terminate me by not reporting this sooner since he is cheating money off the company.
Should I do it?
Thanks
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I can't tell you what to do, as I don't exactly know your position within the company, or how much oversight they actually have over you. I also don't know how much you care about this morally.
What I can offer you is my opinion, and let you know what I would do in your position.
I would just continue to do what I have always been doing (assuming my employer was happy with my performance), and let him do whatever he does. It may anger you, and it may be annoying, especially when he gives you stupid opinions and such. But I don't like snitching, and you would be surprised how many others are like me. I have managed quite a bit previously, and I am now a business owner myself. While I certainly would not look down on somebody who decided to do the right thing and tell someone about something bad another co worker was doing. I would not be offended in the slightest if I found out someone withheld something like that. This of course goes without saying that it depends on the circumstances, obviously the scale of the problem dictates if I would feel the same way, but lying a couple hours on a timesheet is not something I would expect a co worker to report someone for.
As for your buddy, chances are his bad habits will continue and sooner or later someone will catch him and he will either be terminated or reprimanded. Just do your best to not be involved in what he is doing so that your not hurt by his actions.
Specifically related to the point about not offering up change, if someone asks you for change, do not lie and say you do not have it. If you actually don't have it then obviously mention that, but if you do have it, pay up.
In terms of not readily offering someone change, I don't see this necessarily as a bad thing, sure some people will ask you for their change, but many people won't and they will carry on as they were. It's not something I would have thought to do myself, but I've never worked for tips. Thinking back now though I know the strategy has been used on me, and by valets as well, and ill be honest I didn't ask for my change and just carried on.
If I felt the tip was excessive or if I felt it wasn't right, then for somethings (like valet) its my responsibility to say so as a customer. Maybe others disagree, and I think they will, but that's how I feel about the matter.
Last time I valet'd my car it was 16 bucks, I was never expecting the guy to bring me change when I handed him a $20. In fact thats how the scam goes, they make it that price so that I tip the guy the rest of the money.
There are other service industries that operate similarly, for example waitresses will often bring more change to a table then necessary, for example they won't bring 2 5 dollar bills, they will bring 1 5 and a bunch of loonies and toonies, this is due to the fact that people are statistically more likely to leave the loose change. It's just called being smart I think.
One last note, I was in a situation similar to yours where someone was mis representing their time, and the company found out no longer after I did, and his ass got fired quite quickly. They never even asked me if I knew or anything.