Dishonest coworker
 

Hello all,
I am in a bit of a dilemma as to whether I should be doing the right thing or be a team player and not 'snitch' out a fellow employee and would like to seek some advice.

I work as a valet for a company that has many clients such as hotels and restaurants. We dont really have supervision and we are left to do our own thing after basic training.

A coworker I have been working with for the last month has questionable work ethics and I have been contemplating whether I should report his actions to hr. We work 2 days a week and every week when it is slow we would take turns leaving early and since the beginning I know he has been cheating work hours by claiming he left later than he did. I have also witnessed him not offering a customer their $19 change back. He also told me to use this method to ensure good tips and even suggested that I should tell customers I do not have change to offer. Other minor things such as ridiculing me for opening taxi doors when we are "not at a high end place, therefore no tips" and suggesting we shouldn't bother doing a detailed damage check "because they would have to prove that i did it" are also my concerns.

My biggest concern would be whether or not the company will terminate me by not reporting this sooner since he is cheating money off the company.

Should I do it?

Thanks

Doesn't sound like someone I'd want valeting for me.

High end or not this clown should not be driving other peoples cars.

Report him, there is no need to mention when you noticed it just that you did notice it and you are concerned because if there was damage done it would reflect poorly on you, him and the business.

I can't tell you what to do, as I don't exactly know your position within the company, or how much oversight they actually have over you. I also don't know how much you care about this morally.

What I can offer you is my opinion, and let you know what I would do in your position.

I would just continue to do what I have always been doing (assuming my employer was happy with my performance), and let him do whatever he does. It may anger you, and it may be annoying, especially when he gives you stupid opinions and such. But I don't like snitching, and you would be surprised how many others are like me. I have managed quite a bit previously, and I am now a business owner myself. While I certainly would not look down on somebody who decided to do the right thing and tell someone about something bad another co worker was doing. I would not be offended in the slightest if I found out someone withheld something like that. This of course goes without saying that it depends on the circumstances, obviously the scale of the problem dictates if I would feel the same way, but lying a couple hours on a timesheet is not something I would expect a co worker to report someone for.

As for your buddy, chances are his bad habits will continue and sooner or later someone will catch him and he will either be terminated or reprimanded. Just do your best to not be involved in what he is doing so that your not hurt by his actions.

Specifically related to the point about not offering up change, if someone asks you for change, do not lie and say you do not have it. If you actually don't have it then obviously mention that, but if you do have it, pay up.

In terms of not readily offering someone change, I don't see this necessarily as a bad thing, sure some people will ask you for their change, but many people won't and they will carry on as they were. It's not something I would have thought to do myself, but I've never worked for tips. Thinking back now though I know the strategy has been used on me, and by valets as well, and ill be honest I didn't ask for my change and just carried on.

If I felt the tip was excessive or if I felt it wasn't right, then for somethings (like valet) its my responsibility to say so as a customer. Maybe others disagree, and I think they will, but that's how I feel about the matter.

Last time I valet'd my car it was 16 bucks, I was never expecting the guy to bring me change when I handed him a $20. In fact thats how the scam goes, they make it that price so that I tip the guy the rest of the money.

There are other service industries that operate similarly, for example waitresses will often bring more change to a table then necessary, for example they won't bring 2 5 dollar bills, they will bring 1 5 and a bunch of loonies and toonies, this is due to the fact that people are statistically more likely to leave the loose change. It's just called being smart I think.

One last note, I was in a situation similar to yours where someone was mis representing their time, and the company found out no longer after I did, and his ass got fired quite quickly. They never even asked me if I knew or anything.

Yes the pricing is set up like that. We charge $11 and hope the customers give us the change from a $15 or $20. Expecting tips is one thing, outright not mentioning about returning the change and to blatantly lie about not having any is another. He is a dishonest person and has the audacity to make fun of my "honour system" to write out my time card correctly. Making tasteless racist jokes does not help his image either.

Fair enough, I guess I assumed it wasn't something as brazen as that. I thought he would just take his time giving producing the change, hoping they decided to leave without it, but if he starts literally just flat out refusing to give people their change, I guess I would hope those people would be intelligent enough to complain about him to the management of wherever you are or the company you work for. Unless you are this co-workers manager, or superior I don't see it as your responsibility to monitor his interactions with clients.

About the racist jokes, depending on how offensive it was, I would likely brush it off, and just start ignoring the kid altogether, or I would deal with it myself by explaining to him how I would bury my foot up his ass if he said that shit again; however, if the problem is serious enough that you feel uncomfortable, which it sounds to me like it is, then by all means report it to your manager.

For the sake of people who have to deal with this asshole, please report him. Would you feel comfortable leaving your car with him? I'd demand my change back if this little fag told me he didn't have any, and I'd purposely not tip him.

On the flip side, he could try to pawn it off on OP and get him in shit for this clowns actions. From the little insight we have from the posts it sounds like this is the kind of person who would do that.

its one thing to take an extra 5 minutes on your coffee break, but this is clearly a violation of your job and the trust your employers have put on you BOTH.

the odds of this coming to bite you in the ass is too high. tattle on the clown

Sorry but how is "the little fag", as someone else eloquently put it, going to blame OP for lying about "the little fags" time sheet?

Also how is he going to blame OP when somebody complains about him not giving them the change.

I just don't see how any of this is going to circle back to the OP. The kid sure sounds like a dickhead, and by all means that's all the reason in the world to report him if OP feels so inclined.

I am simply giving OP an out, that if he doesn't want to report the kid, because he feels uncomfortable doing so, that his companies management likely won't be upset over that.

I'm more worried about all the people getting fucked over after already being raped by over-priced parking. Nobody deserves a double penetration!... Well, some do... NVM

no one should have to deal with a co-worker like that. Report his ass!!!

why wouldn't you report him ?

I'm thinking more abut things like the damage check, and the change can easily turn into a he said/she said scenario. Realistically this comes down to how OP thinks his boss views things, although I wouldn't want to work for someone who would give you trouble for bringing a shoddy coworker to their attention anyways.

I'd also report him. Maybe set yourself a certain reasonable line, which if he crosses, you can report him.

As someone else said, people with loose/no ethics will not hesitate to throw someone else under the bus - even by lying - and that's just not worth it.

Finally, contrary to what meme said up there, if I was a manager and found out someone was concealing information about unethical behaviour, I'd be pretty upset. Your manager may feel the same way when s/he inevitably finds out about this prick.

I might have worded that a little poorly.

I'm just weary of people who are altogether too willing to throw other co-workers to the wolves if it helps them get further quickly.

I'm not saying I would want people to hide dishonest behaviour from me, but I can understand why, and almost somewhat support co-workers helping each other FIX (NOT CONCEAL), any mistakes they make.

Looking back, I think you guys are more right, maybe this kid is beyond help, and maybe I'm thinking in terms of what I would do in my current place of work, which is much different from working as a valet.

Office politics means that snitching on someone can hurt you, but in this case, I don't see any negative for OP to stay quiet.

So by all means OP, sever his head.

Report him, gain respect from manager, move up ladder faster

Report him, gains reputation for being a company snitch, gets hated on by peers. Doubt you'll go anywhere.

I wouldn't report him. First you don't how will the company/HR handles it. Some company just don't care about things like that ( you will be surprise how many company care.). Also does your co worker know anyone from higher ups or maybe their buddy offer them the job. Telling the management will not be a good idea if that's the case. A lot of these min wage jobs in friends through friends.

Some company also have poor HR so they won't bother or even look digusted when you report someone like that because it means now they have more work to do or they might just do nothing. They might even tell your co worker so and so reported him for being lazy and yea not good on your part.

A work place is as easy as black and white. I would just stay quiet and do my job and if management comes and ask about his work ethics just tell them straight up about this.

Star Valet?

this is where i would draw the line. it takes 2 to tango. you scratch his back, and he scratches your back.

his ethics does suck, but its also important to have good relations with coworkers or else your job just sucks balls to go to.

that being said, i would report him. if your company thinks that its ok with what he does and punish you for doing whats right, i wouldn't want to work for that company anyways and its better you cut your losses early and move on and find something else.

Based on my experience, you should just focus on what you are doing. Don't let others annoy you on your job. You take care of your own business and karma will take care of itself.

One thing I have learn is, never take work serious as things always work out.

Right, the magical karma will rid this world of all evil.....

I kinda hate this kind of mentality, nothing ever gets done. God will figure it out for us....

Not only is this guy leaving a shit stain on the company image, but it affects how people perceive you as an employee.
If the company doesn't care about that, then I really doubt that's someone you want as your employer.
If you have some sort of morals and care about a bunch of innocent hard working people getting scammed
by this asshole, it seems obvious to let someone know what's going on.

BTW no one even mentioned that this can be done ANONYMOUSLY. Send an e-mail pretending to be a customer
who received shit service from (enter his name here) and that he refused to give change back.

I feel stupid for not thinking of that, this is probably the best reply to the thread thus far.

Thank you all for your elaborate responses.
I actually read this through these posts yesterday and decided to follow through with most of the advice to report him to hr last night. Hr did take my concerns seriously and told me that she will send supervisors to perform more audits in the evening to determine whether or not he has been cheating hours since they can't really do much from my statements alone. What they can do is change up the schedules and pairings so I do not have to work with him, which was what I really wanted and expected.