Morality question

[dlim]

If you discovered that someone at work who was in charge of ordering stuff was ordering expensive items for their own use  what would you do?

Comments

[crackerman078]

leave proof of said ordering in the path of that particular someone's Boss. Then it's up to them.

[smckeown]

Well, what benefit do you get for reporting it, and what cost do you incur by reporting it? How will your co-workers treat you, will it lead to you getting fired because "the team" doesn't like you, what kind of trouble could it cause you if you do something instead of leave it alone?

Likewise, what kind of rewards besides the benefit to the company can you get? Is this something that might lead to a promotion, because you are keeping an eye out for the company? Or will this just get someone fired and then nothing happens, or worse yet whomever you report it to gets the credit?

It's a tough call. Kevin's plan is a good one, as you minimize your gains but likewise minimize your losses.

[madmanpoet]

This is not a tough call.

You tattletale. This activity is called "stealing."

It's particularly bad if the person has any kind of authority or access to employee information.

[volgyi]

I don't think this is as cut and dry as you guys make it sound. It doesn't sound like the guy is stealing the stuff and taking it home, it sounds like he is ordering higher-end products for his own use. Likewise, K's suggestion will probably yield little return as anyone who is that guys boss probably won't even be able to tell something is wrong with the order.

Anyway, Don, I would first make sure that he is actually doing this stuff without proper authorization. This is somewhat commonplace at larger companies. A lot of the time, the boss doesn't even mind, well, because it is a larger company and it's not coming out of the bosses pocket.

I'd definitely like to know more information before offering an opinion. I think you need to know more before proceeding with any decisions as well.