A Question of Business Ethics

[Bibble]

I intern for a radio station. I spend a good chunk of my time at promotional events. One of my many jobs at these events is to take pictures (e.g. of people at our table, listeners with DJs, etc). Pictures are taken with a digital camera owned by the station. This past Saturday, my boss, a DJ, and I were at an event. My boss and I both took pictures.

On Monday, my boss asks me if I dropped the camera or something and was too afraid to tell her. I did not do anything that could have damaged the camera. She discovered that the camera wasn't working earlier in the day. I told her that the camera was working fine the entire time I was using it and nothing happened to it that would cause it to break.

Unfortunately, since she was the person in charge, her boss is forcing her to replace the camera. She has surrendered her own camera for now, but plans to buy a cheap one within the next few months. Her boss thinks I broke the camera and am not admitting it, but since they have no evidence (the DJ vouched for my innocence) she has to take responsibility by replacing the camera with her own money.

Note: this camera has taken a beating over the past 1.5 years. My boss says someone dropped it down a flight of stairs roughly 6 months ago, and she thinks this dislodged something, and that thing has finally come loose/snapped.

My boss is sure she did not sign anything saying that she is liable for damaged station property. Indeed, such an agreement would not make any sense when a ~$200 camera is the cheapest piece of equipment we work with.

Do you guys think she should be held responsible in this way? Our HR person is on vacation this week, so she can't go there.

 

[Safeway]

No, the company needs to buy a new camera, 100%.

 

[TwiceOver]

What? As far as I know its the price of doing business. Unless there was willful intent, she shouldn't be required to pay for it.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
What? As far as I know its the price of doing business. Unless there was willful intent, she shouldn't be required to pay for it.

It's a consumable. A tool just like a tool in any other business. Eventually it needs to be replaced. Unless she spiked it, the business should pay for it.

 

[Nik]

The employee is not liable to replace or pay for the replacement of any company equipment. The only recourse a company may have is to terminate employment of the employee. The employer cannot force the employee to pay for the damage/lost equipment in any way.

It's even the law for places like restaurants when customers skip out on paying the bill. The restaurant is not allowed to take the cost of the meal out of the server's tips or paycheck or anything whatsoever.

The company must absorb the cost of damages, 100%.

 

[SoulAssassin]

Maybe it's an act to try to get you to confess? Lay the guilt trip down and see if you admit that you dropped it.

 

[Bibble]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Maybe it's an act to try to get you to confess? Lay the guilt trip down and see if you admit that you dropped it.

Whoa, I hadn't even thought about that. It would be a clever plan of theirs, however my boss hates her boss and loves me, so I doubt this is the case.

I have volunteered to attempt to fix the camera because I do feel bad about my boss paying for it. I hope this isn't interpreted as me being guilty.

And to everyone else, thanks for your quick responses! I'll be sure to tell my boss tomorrow that she isn't responsible.

 

[Cattlegod]

you should stop her from paying it out of her pocket. even if you didn't do it, she will still hold it against you when it comes review time (meaning she may not recommend you to come back). you need to get the company to reimburse her, take initiative on this one, trust me. That is, if you want to work for a company that acts like this (I know I wouldn't).

 

[everman]

Perhaps we should make employees of enormous girth pay for elevator repairs too.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: everman
Perhaps we should make employees of enormous girth pay for elevator repairs too.

And employees with bad BO and bad breath and moldy-smelling clothes pay for air fresheners!

And anyone who shits in the bathroom pay for air fresheners! And toilet paper! And the water bill!

 

[Bibble]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
you should stop her from paying it out of her pocket. even if you didn't do it, she will still hold it against you when it comes review time (meaning she may not recommend you to come back). you need to get the company to reimburse her, take initiative on this one, trust me. That is, if you want to work for a company that acts like this (I know I wouldn't).

You'd be absolutely right, except I am her favorite intern. She told me I'm getting an A today. She won't hold it against me.

However, you are right about me taking initiative. I plan on doing so if she doesn't.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: everman
Perhaps we should make employees of enormous girth pay for elevator repairs too.

Now that's a good idea.

 

[DrPizza]

Wouldn't you be able to look and see what time the last picture taken was at?

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: GuideBot
The employee is not liable to replace or pay for the replacement of any company equipment. The only recourse a company may have is to terminate employment of the employee. The employer cannot force the employee to pay for the damage/lost equipment in any way.

It's even the law for places like restaurants when customers skip out on paying the bill. The restaurant is not allowed to take the cost of the meal out of the server's tips or paycheck or anything whatsoever.

The company must absorb the cost of damages, 100%.

That's what I believe.

 

[kranky]

Even if you had dropped it in front of the whole company, it's not your responsibility to pay for it. You were on company business using company equipment... the company has to pay for it.

We have about one laptop a month turned in because it got dropped or something. That's life and the company deals with the cost. It's part of the cost of doing business. Stuff breaks. You don't stick the person who happened to touch it last with the bill.

Although I did once have a job where the president would have done the same thing as her boss in this situation. He was the cheapest jerk I have ever known.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
you should stop her from paying it out of her pocket. even if you didn't do it, she will still hold it against you when it comes review time (meaning she may not recommend you to come back). you need to get the company to reimburse her, take initiative on this one, trust me. That is, if you want to work for a company that acts like this (I know I wouldn't).

Then you both can laugh over the whole incident while waiting in the unemployment line.

 

[spidey07]

I'm reading between the lines here...

"I didn't do anything that could have damaged the camera."

So, what is it that you did?

Essentially I think this is a ploy for you to come clean and teach you a lesson. Eitherway, your boss isn't responsible in anyway. Or it's an "intern test" where people mess with you just for fun. It is great entertainment.

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: kranky
Even if you had dropped it in front of the whole company, it's not your responsibility to pay for it. You were on company business using company equipment... the company has to pay for it.

We have about one laptop a month turned in because it got dropped or something. That's life and the company deals with the cost. It's part of the cost of doing business. Stuff breaks. You don't stick the person who happened to touch it last with the bill.

Although I did once have a job where the president would have done the same thing as her boss in this situation. He was the cheapest jerk I have ever known.

once a month? good lord....what kind of clumsy people does your company employ?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: FreshPrince

Originally posted by: kranky
We have about one laptop a month turned in because it got dropped or something.

once a month? good lord....what kind of clumsy people does your company employ?

If you have 120 employees with laptops, that would be one broken laptop per month at an average drop rate of once per employee for 10 years.

The math would be:
a employee drops his laptop once every 10 years.
2 employees = 1 laptop broke every 5 years
10 employees = 1 laptop broken every year.
120 employees = one broken per month.

that is easily believable.

 

[sao123]

wow... what a screwed up company.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Clear Channel FTL

 

[CatKillaZ]

The only reason your boss has to pay for the camera is because she is ______! Pull the race card on them! No matter how dumb it seems, it works!

 

[j00fek]

thats bull, the company needs to replace it

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Well let this be a lesson to you that once your internship is up and they offer you a job, don't take it, go somewhere else.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

The ONLY time I believe that the employee can be held liable is if it's intentionally gross negligance. ie: if they took the camera and chucked it as hard as they could into a lake. Take it out of a budget? Sure. Take it out of a paycheck? No way.