Whats the right thing to do OR your job???

Ree Fresh · #1 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

Intresting incodent today at work:

Well ive only been working at a new coffee place for about 3-4 weeks. Our manager is back after a week and im curently working with one of are lead agents(like an asistant manager) who's awsome and a very very smart young girl.

Anyways where working along and there in the garbage I notice an envolope that looks limportant... a pay check?

Was it realy ment to be there? Well, im not to sure whats its doing in there so i reconferm "who's is it? why was it in the garbage?"

At the end of the counter stands our lead agent behind the big boss manager.

The manager starts an angry explanation show infront of the both of us. "this is someone's paychck. I always find their pay check lying around, they obviousely dont care. So why should i?" She then gave it back to me and told me to through it back in the garbage.

I had an extreamly confused and (what the fuck) look on my face. What was I to do... well??? I look behind the manager to the lead agent who starts shaking her head at me not to through it out. However the mager re looked to soon b4 i could hide it so i was pretty much forced to through it out :(

I obviousely started acting real upset and not happy about the disition the manager made. Soon enough my co-worker (lead agent) stept in, and said somthing how it wasnt realy the right thing to do... even though the manager wants to teach her other employee a lesson etc... Basicly, we couldnt win.

So the manager then re talked with me trying to get me to see why It was "ok". I told her that i didnt think it was right, and if that was my paycheck I wouldnt want someone to do that to me either. And realy, it wasnt garbage... ppl have had other stupid things lying around for days... no need to through out a paycheck levt under the counter after only one day.

Anyways... the manager levt for a bit and I talked to my other co-worker about what we should do. She was also very up set and let me go dig through the garbage for it. Luckly I found it and will have to hang on to it till see the owner of it. My awsome co-worker said she would take any blame if the manager ever found out we saved it too.

Its so tough with an situation like that. I thought it was evil, and secconds after i felt like threatning to walk out for sake of doing the right thing. However... at the moment I cant realy aford to do that :(

bah

Miss T · #2 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

thats a sketchy situation.....but i think that the manager is being very immature and i think you guys did the mature/right thing!

Bitchin · #3 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

thats really immature of your boss to do that. MAkes me wonder how they're the boss of the place you work at.

but you did the right thing rhiannon, I would have done the same as you... :)

cyberdog · #4 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

Your boss sounds like a dolt. I can see the need to get people to be responsible with their belongings, however, that is a very mean and vindictive way of going about it. Better idea is to start collecting all such items and keep them under lock and key which only the manager has. Left the cheque lying around? Into the lock and key place it goes. Boss gone for three days and you REALLY need your money? Tough luck, you'll have to wait (you'll still get it, it'll just be delayed by your own carelessness, which, in my opinion, is fair).

Did you do the right thing by retrieving it? Definitely.

Did your Team Lead do the right thing for being willing to accept responsability should the boss find out? Even more definitely.

Would quitting in protest be appropriate? I don't think so...it is unlikely that this would change your boss's outlook, and, if anything, would leave your Team Lead with one less decent human being to lead.

beach*bum · #5 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

isn't there something illegal about that?
i didn't think a manager of an establishment could willingly and purposely throw out someone's pay?!?
especially if it was only left there for one day?
and who cares? it's one fucking envelope under the counter...booo~freakin'~wooo....i'm sure it's SO in the way.

rhainnon, definately good job on getting that back!

SEAN! · #6 (**permalink**) May 30, 03

the manager should get fired for doing that..he seems like a fuckin asshole.

i can tell you this..you're going to have problems with him in the future..thats a sure sign of someone who is bad at their job....a more appropraite way of dealing with the situation would have been if the manager talked to the person who owned the cheque, and expressed how they felt about it...i can't beleive someone could do that, pure stupidity

galaxie · #7 (**permalink**) Jun 06, 03

What kind of a manager would do that?

wow!

Rhia, if I were you I would report your manager to his/her superior because there's no excuse for that type of immaturity!

Kandyapple · #8 (**permalink**) Jun 06, 03

just a question though,, not to say that she was justified in any way. but perhaps its not realy a persons pay cheque and its just a pay stub. i used to leave mine at work all the time. well rather just not pick them up because i always have my money auto deposited into my account so it was never a real rush to get it. perhaps she knew that and figured that it wasnt a big deal to hold onto it. has anyone been complaining of not getting payed at your work? but yah its still not cool i dont think you have the right to do that even if it isnt somones actual pay cheque. I always get a heep of them later in the mail cuz i forget them for so long. oops. but yah still thats not her decision to make.