Question

Case study #1: You work in a large office and you are in charge of payroll. Everyone is paid by the hour and everyone is supposed to work an eight hour work day from 8AM to 5PM with one hour off for lunch. One employee has been very friendly to you for some time now, and she has eaten lunch with you on occasion. You have observed that she has started staying longer and longer for her lunch break, very often going out-to-eat for lunch, and doctoring her time card. She has been "crying on your shoulder" about her marriage problems. She says she has been dealing with some difficult issues and a divorce looks imminent. Nevertheless, you confront her about the time card inconsistencies. She says it has been necessary for her to visit her attorney and to do other errands instead of going to lunch. She begs that you will not tell the office manager and squeal on her. What are you going to do?

1. Are you going to report her to the office manager?

2. Are you going to let her off if she does not do it again?

3. Are you going to tell her that she must confess to the office manager?

4. Are you going to let her have the extra time, because she is in a difficult situation?

5. Are you going to dock her pay by the amount that you think she is late, but not report this to the office manager as to why you are doing this?

6. Are you going to choose some other alternative?

Answer 1

Option 3:

Will tell her to confess to the office manager. Although she might be going through tough personal time, it is unethical work practice to fudge timecards. So the office manager must know about it. However, considering the personal bonding that I share, I will not report it myself because that will put her in bad light. Rather give her a chance to explain her case to the office manager. If she can convince the office manager, she can continue to take time off. Or, if the manager believes that she shouldn’t be paid for hours she doesn’t work, she needs to take a paycut.