Ethics In The Workplace

When I was first in college I found quickly that I needed a job. The only job I could find within walking distance of my college campus was at Subway making a dime above minimum wage. Within a few months of starting I learned that even the Assistant Manager wasn't making lots of money; she only made a dollar above minimum wage. The Assistant Manager had a family to support and was working as many hours as possible, but when times got too tough she'd steal food from the store. Everyone at work knew about it, but we all needed our jobs and felt intimidated about the idea of going to the Store Manager with the problem for fear of retaliation.

One evening when only myself and another employee accompanied the Assistant Manager in the store I brought up the topic and told the Assistant Manager that we knew she was stealing from the store. I had said that I wanted to bring the issue to her attention to allow her the opportunity to speak with the Store Manager herself. I figured that her honesty coupled with an explanation of her personal circumstances might buy her some understanding from the Store Manager and would be in her better interests than simply going to the Store Manager myself. However, the Assistant Manager didn't see things the way I did. She was very upset when I spoke of her wrongdoings and simply stated that I needed to mind my own business. Since I got nowhere with my attempts to give my Assistant Manager a chance to rectify the situation herself, I knew that I had to talk with the Store Manager about the events even though my co-workers urged me not to.

The next day I spoke with the Store Manager told him exactly what had happened. I apologized for allowing the situation to continue so long without saying anything but explained that I wanted to provide her with the opportunity to take care of the situation on her own and that she wasn't very keen on the idea of being forthright and honest about her