Ethical Dilemmas

[Socky the Sock.]

This thread is about ethical dilemmas, discussing what you would do in the various circumstances to be presented and why you would do that.

Here's the first dilemma

Your supervisor enters your office and asks you for a check for $150.00 for
expenses he tells you he incurred entertaining a client last night. He submits
receipts from a restaurant and lounge. At lunch your supervisor’s girlfriend stops
by to pick him up for lunch and you overhear her telling the receptionist what a
great time she had at dinner and dancing with your supervisor the night before.
What do you do?

[sprintcyclist]

Two words come to mind.


Black Mail

[Socky the Sock.]

Two words come to mind.


Black Mail

In 25 words or less, explain why.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Assuming supervisor is a rep, I'd research employment details of girl friend to ensure she isn't a rep of a client entity, avoiding egg facial.

[mellie]

I agree with yogi, and I'd research it first, especially when it comes to something as potentially career altering or workplace disruptive as this.


If you have a good workplace relationship with him otherwise, and he's worked there for years with you, and you have a good rapport with him, I'd probably have a polite word with him and make it clear that you don't appreciate being placed in a position whereby you feel as though you are expected to renegade, shirk on your own responsibility's, however minor an office crime he may think it is, because effectively, you are enabling the fraudulent appropriation of funds entrusted to your care, after the fact, now that you know about it.

Look, no one likes a workplace wowser or stick-in-the-mud, this or someone who does this for the purpose of either blackmailing, (this is a crime also) or is just throwing their weight around the office,(ego-feeding) ...so make it clear why it is you feel you need to raise this matter with him, as a professional , (remember, he doesn't owe you any favours, (well, I suspect he doesn't or else you wouldn't be asking this question)...so why should you feel like a criminal all because he wants a free meal ticket? Ok, some might argue you are being inflexible, belligerent, and an office Nazi, but if you put it across in a manner whereby you make it clear to him that it's not personal, he'll probably be fine with it and foot the bill like he should have done to begin with.

If it's a first offence, and he's otherwise a good employee, perhaps you could do it over a beer, remove yourself from the professional setting to show him that it's not about ego/power, rather that it's genuinely not something you feel comfortable with now you know.

Bottom line, he needs to know where he stands, this and if he is going to do it, at least have the grace to do it discretely (tell his date not to blab about it in the office) so others with work ethics and a conscience don't feel like enablers, or accessories to a crime after the fact.

The question is, how are you going to put it back.... after the fact?
I would record the discussion for your own protection, (just to be on the safe side)... you never know, he might be a egomaniac and a nark, this and decide to be an a-hole a few months down the track.. so cover yourself. Document the time and date everything, leave a trail of some sort for a colleague to verify if he tries to do anything funny, blame you for what he tried to do, Hopefully, he'll be amicable, feel a bit embarrassed, and make good of his 'error'.

I will just add, I'm going by instincts here, based on what I would do if I were you, if I were in your shoes.



So, take my lack of experience into consideration when weighing it up, I am by no means experienced with dealing with this sort of thing, the closest thing I can think of just off the top of my head was when I caught a cleaner going through a patients personal possessions, (bed side draw ) and in this instance, I pretended not to see her do it, then I reported the mongrel for trying to steal off a vulnerable sick person recovering from surgery.

God luck, let us know how you get on, I would be curious as to how you solve your ethical dilemma.

Ps- Sorry for this long winded post. I got distracted with my own assignment, and forgot your 25 word rule..
_________________________________________________

So in 25 words...

Ask him to make good of it, be sure you have assurances in place, alternatively, notify the company owner/s.
Remember, he's not to know you know he went to dinner with his girl.

[Rainbow Moonlight]

Issue the check. its his responsibility. He could have had dinner with her after he entertained the client. In an ethics class I would give a different answer- talk to him about it. In reality - you don't know for a fact he is rorting the system and why rock the boat or bite the hand that feeds you?

[mellie]

Issue the check. its his responsibility. He could have had dinner with her after he entertained the client. In an ethics class I would give a different answer- talk to him about it. In reality - you don't know for a fact he is rorting the system and why rock the boat or bite the hand that feeds you?

why rock the boat or bite the hand that feeds you?

Because it's an ethics discussion, we are meant to challenge this from an ethical point of view, in reality, ASIF you would take on your superior, your supervisor, unless you had balls of steel and or hated your job anyway and were planning on leaving.

Fact is.. the source was office gossip, something he overheard to begin with, then he has to prove it, really, would it be worth the $150?

I love ethics discussions.


Now back to reality, ....


You didn't hear a thing!

[Socky the Sock.]

Your supervisor enters your office and asks you for a check for $150.00 for
expenses he tells you he incurred entertaining a client last night. He submits
receipts from a restaurant and lounge. At lunch your supervisor’s girlfriend stops
by to pick him up for lunch and you overhear her telling the receptionist what a
great time she had at dinner and dancing with your supervisor the night before.
What do you do?

Thanks guys... here's what I'd do.

Since I am responsible for the issuance of reimbursements and recording that in the expense journal, I'd ask for more information. I would ask my supervisor the name of the client so I could record it against the expense and also accept the receipts. This is not an unusual request. Actually it's perfectly acceptable accounting practice. Equally, it would be my practice for all expenses, that receipts be provided and clients if they are entailed be named.

I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about the girlfriends declaration. It's not uncommon for girlfriends and wives to attend client evenings.

My only ethical concern in this scenario is the proper recording of accounting records. I would never just issue a check without accounting for its purpose.

[Socky the Sock.]

Here's another ethical dilemma...

You have worked as a bank teller for several months when one of the other tellers
who has become a good friend tells you that her daughter is extremely ill and that
she must have an operation to survive. She also tells you that she has no insurance
and the operation will cost $10,000. Sometime later you ask her about her
daughter and she tells you she is just fine now. She then confides in you that she
took $10,000.00 from a dormant account at the bank to pay for the operation.
She assures you that she has already started paying it back and will continue to do
so until it is all returned.
What do you do?

[Rainbow Moonlight]

Good answer socky but it does assume a context of past practice and has a bit more knowledge about what is required in order to issue it than I have..