Would you report coworker theft?

[MTG#10]

This guy Ive been working with for the last couple years has been robbing my company blind lately, and does it right in front of me. It started out as just a couple < $10 items here and there, but recently Ive been noticing him taking much higher priced ($20+) things out to his car almost every day. Ive told him before he better stop before he gets caught but he just laughs and says something like "Why are you gonna rat on me?"

This guy isn't a really close friend or anything, but I do open with him every morning and he has been out to my house for cookouts a few times...not for a couple years though.

Its really bothering me, I don't want to be a rat but at the same time this shit is wrong and while I cant stand my current boss I do like the owner and his family. Ive told this guy more than once not to do it in front of me but he doesn't listen.

Should I say something to the owner or live by the rule "snitches get stitches"? He would certainly get fired and he has a wife who cant work and three kids at home so that would bother me as much or more than his stealing. And even if I did say something I don't know how to go about it...I cant do it anonymously because I'm the only one there in the mornings with him so they would know it was from me.

In a tough spot here.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Honestly, due to the length of time it's been going on the easiest solution is to sit down with the honor and talk about it in a way that makes it seem you suspected but had no concrete evidence and then something came about that makes you absolutely certain.

This gives you a reason why you didn't come forth until now and a way to separate yourself from his acts.

This.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

lol, no it dont1 not here in cali. especially me being a mexican and been in the "life" before. I keep my mouth shut if shit ever got out, it would be all bad for me. Im almost 40 and it would be all bad for me.

Try to move then. Cali sucks anyway

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by MTG#10

Im not going into details, but our inventory control is non-existent. Our suppliers will deliver us pallets of our product and we wont even check it, we just sign for it and they leave. They could easily be ripping us off too and we wouldn't even know. The product he's taking is miniscule when only taking a small amount, Ive even been told by my old supervisor to grab some when I needed it and not to worry about it. But this dude is taking it to a whole other level...taking case after case of the most expensive shit everyday. Sometimes so much he has to dolly it out to his car. In a way the company deserves it for being so stupid but its still not right.

I think the way I'm going to go about it is to tell the owner he needs to put a camera in the parking lot and have it recording in the morning. Hopefully that will be enough and he'll get the hint.

Holy shit, this is some place your boss runs.

Its one thing to steal stuff, but to steal stuff and not give a shit that a co-workers sees you do it--this guy is either really stupid or has a giant set of balls on him.

[Deberg_1990]

Hell yea, drop a dime on that MoFo. I wouldn't hesitate if it was just an acquaintance .

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Hell yea, drop a dime on that MoFo. I wouldn't hesitate if it was just an acquaintance .

For a reward I would rat out my son.

[Valiant]

The whole snitches get stitches concept is stupid and moronic.

You know people get pissy when corporations do evil things.

When he gets caught, the first thing he is going to do is say you knew about it. You are the only one that is there with him, how do you not know about the theft? How much do you like your job? I can understand a little if your company and boss are evil and screwing you over. But you already said you like your owner.

Do the right thing. You already gave him a chance.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

I'd give him one last ultimatum and say you either stop completely right now, or next time I even suspect that you have taken something I'm going to report it.

His nickel and diming the place adds up and I don't know what business it is, but eventually that can sink a store, not to mention how would you feel if due to budget costs they had to trim employees and they let you go and kept him?

DO NOT give him one more chance, that just enables him to try to pin you for the theft. If there is no proof or video of the thefts, first word of reporting will get benefit of the doubt.

You can go to the owner, you can explain you saw it, you confronting him about quiting it. He did not, so if the owner could install a camera and handle it appropiatley without taking you down as telling. That is if the owner is not a hot head.

You will also have to explain why you did not tell your boss.

[Katipan]

Just record him yourself. I'm assuming you have a cell phone?

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

lol, no it dont1 not here in cali. especially me being a mexican and been in the "life" before. I keep my mouth shut if shit ever got out, it would be all bad for me. Im almost 40 and it would be all bad for me.

I am sorry, but that is the reason why your area is so bad. Same with here in KC. People allow bad things and crime to go on.

I grew up in Independence, it has the same motto. It is the reason why it has one of the worst murder rates per zip code. Elsewhere in the city? People do not tolerate that shit.

[Valiant]

I will say, you do need inventory measures and tracking when product is delivered.
Delivery companies and those distributors are notorius for messing up and stealing product. You do need to advise a tracking method started.

[Mojo Jojo]

Without a doubt report him. If you had to ask you know it's the right thing to do.

[mdchiefsfan]

Inventory shrink takes money out of your pocket. The first cuts to regain losses are associate hours and raises. You're doing yourself a grave injustice by not reporting it.

[MTG#10]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Holy shit, this is some place your boss runs.

Its one thing to steal stuff, but to steal stuff and not give a shit that a co-workers sees you do it--this guy is either really stupid or has a giant set of balls on him.

He is definitely stupid...but he also just trusts that I would never say anything.

[COchief]

This thread should be titled "What type of planeteer are you?"

We have:

- The absolute shit-stains and obvious trailer trash with the "who cares" and "snitches" etc, have some ****ing morals you pieces of shit, pretty obvious who changes oil for a living...

- The morons condoning "handle dat shit yerself brah" with warnings and what not to the thieving POS, this should be the absolute last thing MTG should do btw. Sets off the POS radar and he would probably try to blame it on you or take you down with him.

- The accounting/inventory morons that don't understand small business. I especially like the chiming in with "hire me and I'll fix er up", what the owner has is essentially a $2500 per year problem ($10X5daysX50weeks) at this point. So your suggestion is to implement inventory tracking and pay the dumbass accountant to research all this shit and the owner ends up with a still unsolvable $2500 problem and then a minimum $10-20K bill that probably doesn't even really affect his business. Then he has to pay for the software and someone to run it all for what? Brilliant!

- As a finance/IT/business process consultant to fortune 500s as well as a small business owner with 15 employees I am more than qualified to comment on this crap sandwich from both sides. I also love nothing more than setting up stupid employees for theft/firings, I stress that I will fire and call the police in the interview and it is reinforced several times throughout the training period. I run a service business with many long term customers, I ask them to throw out the ole "how much if I just pay you cash direct" line and then fire the shit stain while laughing. The best is that these stupid ****s throw away a $1k per week job for as little as $20 extra in their pockets, my closer for them: "hope it was worth the $20, someone else will be cashing your $1k paycheck next week".

One question for the OP, if the owner saw and knew everything regarding all of your actions would he fire you immediately?

My favorite poster was "thief that has 3 kids and a wife that can't work and is blatantly stealing and risking his families well being might not be such a bad guy" (mutually exclusive guy).

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

No, it doesn't. An accomplice is someone who knowingly and actively aids a criminal. Mere inaction does not make one an accomplice.

Hell, feel free to ask the cops on this board about that. There are very few instances in the criminal code where there is a duty to act.

While generally true, if the thief says they were in it together, claiming he knew but didn't want to rat sticky fingers out is not an excellent defense to prosecution.