Stealing money in the workplace - Do you rat out a co-worker/friend?

details?

We have a business checking account as well as a Petty Cash fund. On several occasions over the past few months I have noticed checks written for “Cash” but the receipt book for the cash fund is never updated. We are talking several hundred dollars a month that are un-accounted for with the cash box. One more point is my co-worker/friend and I are the only ones with access to this money. Don’t want to be thrown under the bus for something I have not done.

@justamom Since you said it’s only you two, I would have to say something just because it’s easier to pin that on you. It’s pretty easy to figure that out amongst two people, 100 would be different.

Can you confront your co worker

You are going to have to report it. It’s not only a matter of “getting thrown under the bus” but actual jail time. Do you want to go to jail for something someone else has done?

Business Ethics 101 – No Question, Report it to Management or HR post-haste.
Don’t confront the person personally as it somehow may get turned onto you.

Maybe you can approach the management saying you’re not sure whats going on but there seems to bee x amount of money not accounted for, and all that you’ve told us:
they could perhaps then perform a random check in to touch base with seemingly the two of you, find what you’ve said to be true – and investigate the case from there with your co worker believing they were doing a “suprise check” ?

mehh this is a tough spot for you to be in, sorry :[

I think a “surprise” audit would perhaps do the trick. Thank you everyone! This has been on my heart for months. Keeping me awake at nights and trying to decide the RIGHT thing to do. I don’t want to see anyone get in trouble, but at the same time I do not understand how someone could steal hundreds of dollars a month with no remorse. That type of character makes me believe that I would be the one blamed. Thanks again for all of your advice!

@justamom try not to wrap yourself up into trying to figure out why someone might do something like this. There really is no rational answer that you would support it. This is a problem that this person has and is affecting the bottom line of the company you work for. Left unchecked, it can only get worse.

I would report it. Stealing. Not ok. Let the powers at be investigate it and decide if stealing is actually going on. I would not talk to the person I suspect is stealing.

Here’s an anecdote from my last job:

When I got hired, the company was in chaos and I had to skip most of the training period and start work right away. I got sent to a store to be part of the management and the corporate trainers said the general manager would have to fill me in as I worked. I didn’t learn until a few weeks into the job that we were supposed to be counting the safe at every shift change- I thought we were supposed to count it every day. Not the same thing at all.

The general manager ran into some money trouble and borrowed money from the safe, intending to put it back the next time he got paid- this happened on one of my off days. That day, the corporate accountant did a surprise audit at our store and found hundreds of dollars missing. It went all the way up the chain, and the Powers that Be wanted to fire everyone with access to the safe. The corporate trainer stuck up for me, and that’s the only reason I didn’t get fired. (I found all this out later. Initially it was, “Can you work this shift? We’ll tell you about it later.”)

Anyway, the point is that you need to cover your ass. Right now, the two of you are the only ones who know about it. If anyone else finds out about the missing money, it will be impossible for them to know which of you is responsible for the discrepancies. At the very least, both of you know about it and haven’t reported it- that’s enough to justify a firing. Go to your supervisor and tell them only what you actually know, that there have been discrepancies, how much, and when. Don’t add any speculation, just the facts. Your supervisor will investigate it from there.

Ditto, @blueiiznh.

Here’s how I would handle this:

1. If I knew for a fact that a fellow employee was embezzling from the company, and not just being slopping with receipt matching and expense reports, then I’d turn him in and hope the company would fire him. I don’t want to associate with criminals, and I won’t be tarred with their brush. I know without even asking my colleagues that they’d have the same attitude, whether or not they would actually attempt or want to find out the truth about such an event.

2. If the cash box has been unbalanced “for months”, and the receipts haven’t been replaced to balance out the checks to cash, then the first thing that I’d expect is that this is just very loose and sloppy accounting. There’s a reason that cash boxes are called “lockboxes”: they should be locked or at least kept under tight control. Okay, the fact that only you and one other person have access indicates relatively “tight” control, at least in terms of who can access, but this accounting has to be reconciled periodically. For this condition to go unreported “for months” is negligence. Whether that is “criminal negligence” may be an open question.

I would suggest to a superior that you have concerns about the lack of reconciliation, and suggest that either he control access to the cash box and demand receipts to balance every cash outlay, or that he assign EITHER you OR your colleague with that responsibility, and demand a reconciliation statement at least monthly. (And it wouldn’t hurt to suggest that he should pick you, for bringing this to his attention and for making the suggestion.)

An audit at this point would be embarrassing, but would be as likely to paint you as the negligent party as well as (or maybe even instead of) the other person. If you tell the boss, “the box is out of balance”, and here’s what I think needs to be done in the future, then there’s no surprise any more, and at least you’re up front with a suggestion and willingness to take responsibility.

They will figure a way to find out what is going on. Really, just report your suspicion. In retail we would purposely add extra money to the register, watch with cameras, etc. No one got fired because management thought something was being done, they set it up so they could get proof.

Gahh… “slopping”? That’s sloppy for the word “sloppy”.

Set a trap and video tape your coworker stealing the money. The video tape does not lie and it will get you off the hook as a possible suspect.

Once the camera has taped your coworker in the act. take the tape and let your supervisor take it from there.

Being an honest person sometimes means you have to make a move to protect yourself.

I worked at a department store where we knew the night manager was stealing money from the stores safe. The video tape resulted in a complete confession, payback, and firing of this man.

Stay in your integrity and take it to the boss.
If your co-worker wishes to kill the messenger, oh well, they set it up this way.

Confront. Get down to the bottom of the situation then continue from there. That is if it’s a friend. I wouldn’t waste my time otherwise.

@Ayesha I hope you never do that for a friend. Remember you are talking about a thief. Don’t trust a thief. They will preserve themselves, their loyalty will not be to you, your loyalty is mispaced.