Moral delimna

masraum · 05-14-2011, 12:49 PM

My son works at a restaurant. He's a supervisor of some sort (Front end manager, I think). The restaurant is fairly new. The owner has never been in the restaurant business before and is doing ok despite doing some crazy stuff.

My stepson has discovered that the general manager uses drugs recreationally. I'm not sure what or how much/often. Today he discovered something new and called from work to ask what he should do. They often come up a small amount short ($20-30). He saw the general manager take some money from someone else's drawer and leave. He counted the drawer and discovered that it was $220 short. He thinks that the guy has been stealing and working with the paperwork/numbers to minimize the amount of the stealing. He called to ask what we thought he should do.

I believe there are 2 options with the best chance of a good outcome for my son, go to the owner (the right thing to do) and keep his mouth shut (morally, not really the right thing to do). If he confronts the manager, my guess is that the manager will get him fired, probably for stealing. If he keeps his mouth shut, it could be a while before it is discovered, and who knows what the outcome would be. If he goes to the owner, the owner could go to the manager and my son could get fired. I don't think this owner has enough experience with this sort of business to handle this right.

I'm hoping that he goes to the owner, and it works out well, but regardless of the path he takes, I'm not sure that it will.

What do you guys think?

Hugh R · 05-14-2011, 12:53 PM

Mail an anonymous note to the owner, with enough specifics that the Owner will take it seriously.

DanielDudley · 05-14-2011, 12:55 PM

Anonymous letter, or third party phone call to owner.

I have been the owner who was not told. I would want to be told.

Brando · Brando's Garage

Your son tells the owner -> owner confronts manager...

The manager lies -> owner believes manager, your son gets fired.
The manager lies -> owner believes your son, manager gets fired.

Do they have video cameras on the register? I'm seeing more and more service businesses keep a camera on the register...

Moses · 05-14-2011, 01:27 PM

Nope. It's a restaurant job. He can find another if he has to. He should tell the boss exactly what he has seen with no embellishment. If the guy gets caught, and he will, he will blame someone else. Possibly your step son.

stomachmonkey · 05-14-2011, 01:31 PM

There is only one answer.

Sometimes there are consequences to doing the right thing, a Man does not worry about them, he does the right thing regardless.

stomachmonkey · 05-14-2011, 01:36 PM

Your son does nothing. Other staff will eventually figure out what's going on and may opt to "take a taste" for themselves. Restaurant becomes less profitable, people get laid off or it goes under all together and he's still out of a job.

Or

Owner eventually figures it out, talks to Mgr who he thinks he can trust, someone else gets fired.

How would your son feel about that?

A930Rocket · 05-14-2011, 01:44 PM

Talk to the owner with dates, figures and facts.

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

Like stomachmonkey said, there's only one right thing to do. Talk to the owner. Otherwise, the lesson is its OK to compromise your standards for a buck (or a job).
Consider not attacking the manager's character but say "I hope this isn't the case but this is how it looked..." Maybe he can take a camera phone pic?
Look at it this way: if the manager is that crooked, do you want your son working for him and learning his ways? Also, that guy is going to fire people who's drawer is short to cover his tracks. Sooner or later, your son will be accused of something.

drcoastline · 05-14-2011, 02:01 PM

We live in a digital age cell phone cameras, camera pens all sorts of ways to gather evidence. In addition take down info the old fashioned way. Then go to the owner directly with facts.

cgarr · cgarr's Garage

Could they be testing him?

masraum · 05-14-2011, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moses

Nope. It's a restaurant job. He can find another if he has to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Sometimes there are consequences to doing the right thing, a Man does not worry about them, he does the right thing regardless.

That was my thinking, and that's what I told him to do. He took a slightly different route that worked out in this case.

john70t · 05-14-2011, 03:19 PM

Once worked the graveyard at a gas station where several employees took cartons of cigs, ate everything in the store at will, smelled of refer on the job, and the manager continuously had very red nasal passages, twitchy eyes, and rarely showed up. I once had to call him when he left the safe open.

I got robbed of $35(because I dilligently did safe drops), but the police inspectors were grilling me hard in the back room. After I had done everything right, they were very hard on my butt....
My guess is that a lot of money ended up missing with that robbery.

The gas station folded less than a year later.

bivenator · 05-14-2011, 03:32 PM

Masraum, I think you worked in the bar biz (topless IIRC) so you have been exposed to the rough an tumble world of the rest/bar industry. I had a decade or more in the biz as well.
I have had similar experiences as your son. My advice is that of many others, send an anonymous letter to the owner and in the mean time keep your head down and CYA on any money that he is responsible for.
Count the drawer when given and again at the end of the night. Make notes or photos of the cash money when turning in. (i.e. 3 100's, 2 50's etc.)
After tipping off the owner he can then leverage that into a better spot on the food chain.
I miss the good ole days.

Nostril Cheese · 05-14-2011, 03:34 PM

Tell the owner. In this age of "mystery shoppers", it's quite possible that this is a test for your son. I've seen this thing go down before.

John Rogers · 05-14-2011, 03:46 PM

I would get one of those very small eye glass cams and recorder systems like I have seen at the last few gun shows here in So Cal. I would test it out, then I would wear it all the time and if I saw the $$$$$ get taken again (I would try to make sure I was in the right place again) I would make sure to get it on tape. I would then tell the owner and see what the fallout is. If I was NOT believed, I would show the owner a COPY of the recording saying I did that since I liked them and the place that much. If they retaliated as they might I would go to a local attorney and sue over unlawful termination. I would also make sure the local investigative news folks got it as it would be a pretty good story. Note, this is what I would do if it were me and nothing more! I was born in a time when children were taught better honesty, morals and ethics than may are today and do not tend to like stuff like that.

5String43 · 05-14-2011, 03:52 PM

My vote goes to doing the right thing: Tell the manager. Even if he gets fired, he's still got his self-respect.

dondarnell · 05-15-2011, 06:41 AM

Not a "moral dilemma" . A moral dilemma Is having a moral reason to take two courses of action, but both are not possible. Your son has no moral reason to not inform the owner.

On another note, if your son has more than just an suspicion, he may be complicit if he takes no action.

masraum · 05-15-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dondarnell

Not a "moral dilemma" . A moral dilemma Is having a moral reason to take two courses of action, but both are not possible. Your son has no moral reason to not inform the owner.

On another note, if your son has more than just an suspicion, he may be complicit if he takes no action.

Fortunately, it turned out the guy wasn't stealing, he was buying supplies for the business.

on2wheels52 · on2wheels52's Garage

Happy it worked out ok Steve.
For myself, I'd be broke if it weren't for taking money out of the till (I don't have much of a cash register, just a coin tray and two bank pouches).
Jim