Whistleblowing at work
Discussion
Throwaway account
i just wanted people's opinions on this.
I work at a retail store where the manager gets a lot leeway on pricing buying etc however this has been abused a fair bit recently - a lot in the last month or so.
as a result he's pocketed in my estimates around a grand in the last month and not including what he's made previously.
now when we've asked to where this money is going he's stated its going towards stock that is damaged however nothing has ever been paid off etc and when pushed we get a fob off answer.
no transaction shows that this has ever occured.
quite a few of the staff are getting to the point where we're feeling our efforts are being undermined by all of this. we're getting pushed to hit targets and profits etc but this is undoing a lot of our hard work.
there is a whistleblowing procedure at our workplace and as such this is a consideration.
if we were to go ahead what repercussions would other staff have?
not myself but other junior staff have been told by the manager to do things in their logins (some not all)
obviously this has been occuring on and off for the past 12 months so what I want to know is what repercussions would befall on other staff?
what usually happens in such cases where whistleblowing happens?
i just wanted people's opinions on this.
I work at a retail store where the manager gets a lot leeway on pricing buying etc however this has been abused a fair bit recently - a lot in the last month or so.
as a result he's pocketed in my estimates around a grand in the last month and not including what he's made previously.
now when we've asked to where this money is going he's stated its going towards stock that is damaged however nothing has ever been paid off etc and when pushed we get a fob off answer.
no transaction shows that this has ever occured.
quite a few of the staff are getting to the point where we're feeling our efforts are being undermined by all of this. we're getting pushed to hit targets and profits etc but this is undoing a lot of our hard work.
there is a whistleblowing procedure at our workplace and as such this is a consideration.
if we were to go ahead what repercussions would other staff have?
not myself but other junior staff have been told by the manager to do things in their logins (some not all)
obviously this has been occuring on and off for the past 12 months so what I want to know is what repercussions would befall on other staff?
what usually happens in such cases where whistleblowing happens?
There is an internal audit dept and I do believe they would be the point of contact for something like this
We did have a procedure in place for whistle blowing put in a few months ago
What I don't want is I go to them and then staff who were doin as the manager told them to end up losing their job
Or he stays through some technicality and everyone gets treated like s
t by him
He has made quite a few friends in area managers etc but I do believe them to be professional and the head auditor isn't one of them
We did have a procedure in place for whistle blowing put in a few months ago
What I don't want is I go to them and then staff who were doin as the manager told them to end up losing their job
Or he stays through some technicality and everyone gets treated like s
t by himHe has made quite a few friends in area managers etc but I do believe them to be professional and the head auditor isn't one of them
More money taken today. We didn't even realise he'd taken it.
What's worse is that this is his day off. And he's still come in for this.
The thing is everyone is looking towards me to do it
I got all the contact details for whistle blowing but it's just a certain fear holding me back. What if it all goes tits up...
What's worse is that this is his day off. And he's still come in for this.
The thing is everyone is looking towards me to do it
I got all the contact details for whistle blowing but it's just a certain fear holding me back. What if it all goes tits up...
I got a call back from the audit team!
i spoke to him at length about my concerns and various things he's done.
from talking to him there are certain things that they can definitely do him for - some will need further investgation etc.
the area manager is off till monday so till then he's going to be building up proof on behalf of the company against him.
i have told him i'd like to be kept anonymous but should they need to contact me they can do.
if the area manager was in today chances are they would have come down tomorrow when he's on and suspended him then.
i'm feeling very confident that something will be done.
thank you for your words of wisdom. i just felt under so much stress about this all and needed to vent it.
i spoke to him at length about my concerns and various things he's done.
from talking to him there are certain things that they can definitely do him for - some will need further investgation etc.
the area manager is off till monday so till then he's going to be building up proof on behalf of the company against him.
i have told him i'd like to be kept anonymous but should they need to contact me they can do.
if the area manager was in today chances are they would have come down tomorrow when he's on and suspended him then.
i'm feeling very confident that something will be done.
thank you for your words of wisdom. i just felt under so much stress about this all and needed to vent it.
ChasW said:
Well done fella. It can't be easy but better off your conscience than on.
Honestly my head was pounding all night from thinking about this. I was due to play football last night but my head was elsewhere I couldn't focus on anything. I went shisha and thought I'd put my head phones in and watch Netflix. Couldn't do that. Now that it's done with and i've got positive feedback it's alot lighter in the head.
omgus said:
I had to do something similar a few years ago and spent a night agonising over what i was about to do.
The feeling of relief when i did it was immense and as more issues came to light i knew i'd made the right decision.
Well quite a few of you asked for an update and here it is.
On monday nothing happened so doubts were creeping in my mind whether or not they took me seriously. maybe they couldn't pin anything on him or maybe with christmas coming up they would make a move after christmas. naturally went home monday with mixed feelings.
Tuesday came and around half 10 a gentlemen came asking to speak to the manager. he came to meet him and his face looked indifferent. "hi i'm auditor from head office. I'm here for a spot check."
The auditor played it clever. befriending him almost to the point where I was thinking what? your meant to be investigating him not chatting away to him. he asked for certain items which were missing but they were in the store and I knew they were.
I did mention in my chat in the original phone an item he double scammed. then it came to that - he asked where that item was and he said just on that shelf. so he bought up the system and it stated there were two in the store. where was the second one? needless to say there wasn't but he tried to pretend looking for one.
One lie after another the auditor wasn't having any of it. "there never was a second one was there?"
he then changed his story but that got caught out too and then tried to blame it that the member of staff who's login was used was "rogue"
that worked bang on in my favour. all of a sudden he lost all support amongst the staff for trying to set up one of them for the fall.
the member of staff was even asked by the manager to lie for him who in turn came to me for advice as to what to do. I advised him just tell the truth. don't lie. trust me.
he did and the auditor absolved him of any wrong doing.
the manager at one point came to me and I asked him whats happening? and he just said I think i'm a goner.
he left the store for half an hr and the auditor pulled me aside and told me he didn't believe a single word. he was a bad apple and would be suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation.
after he was suspended the area manager called me up and you could hear it in his voice he was shaken by what had happened. he trusted this guy as one of his top men. I could feel the sincerity in his voice for what I had done. he told me it took great courage to do what I did and he would be forever grateful for doing this. he said I had his full support and any time I wanted a chat, needed something in store etc I could call him up directly.
i was sat in the office taking this call and I honestly broke down in tears. I felt validated in my actions. right then, my fears were washed away.
two nights previous to the phone calls I was breaking down from the stress of whether it was the right thing to do. I couldn't spend time with anyone at home. not my wife or my kids. I was shuffling from one place to another.
but in that moment of that phone call it just lifted. I took a moment to compose myself. and just walked out with a huge smile.
today investigation interviews of the rest of the staff took place and each one dug a deeper hole for him. i'd talked to each of them before as they they believed that their jobs might be under risk. I told them go tell the truth and don't be afraid. i'd look after them and make sure nothing happened to their jobs. what they had done they had done under the managers orders.
one by one each one collaborated my suspicions. even his closest right hand man told the auditor details I was not aware of. he came to me after and said it was like washing all my wrong doing away.
I decided not to tell any of the staff that I whistle blew on him. No one else has leaked this out too. I'm sure they have their suspicions that how come one minute we're having informal chats and then the next minute they're having full investigation into that.
I'm just grateful for their support.
tomorrow I have my interview with the auditor. I don't know what else I can add to what has already been said. He's going to be as good as gone.
one unexpected fallout from this is that the staff are all asking me now to take over the reigns. i've had the head auditor recommend me to the area manager and the owners of the company. other store managers have offered me assistance and encouraged me to take over. my head is still all over the show - so much to do still what the previous manager should've done. i've taken a stance of lets get over this chapter officially first...
TL:DR the manager has been suspended - further harder evidence has emerged that even I was not aware of. area manager is grateful for stepping up and reporting him. All the staff backed my accusations with similar stuff.
to the people who encouraged me on here - thank you. it really did help. when you don't know what support your going to get - even the words of strangers who are all CEO's are useful. with goatee beards. drinking cans of red bull.
On monday nothing happened so doubts were creeping in my mind whether or not they took me seriously. maybe they couldn't pin anything on him or maybe with christmas coming up they would make a move after christmas. naturally went home monday with mixed feelings.
Tuesday came and around half 10 a gentlemen came asking to speak to the manager. he came to meet him and his face looked indifferent. "hi i'm auditor from head office. I'm here for a spot check."
The auditor played it clever. befriending him almost to the point where I was thinking what? your meant to be investigating him not chatting away to him. he asked for certain items which were missing but they were in the store and I knew they were.
I did mention in my chat in the original phone an item he double scammed. then it came to that - he asked where that item was and he said just on that shelf. so he bought up the system and it stated there were two in the store. where was the second one? needless to say there wasn't but he tried to pretend looking for one.
One lie after another the auditor wasn't having any of it. "there never was a second one was there?"
he then changed his story but that got caught out too and then tried to blame it that the member of staff who's login was used was "rogue"
that worked bang on in my favour. all of a sudden he lost all support amongst the staff for trying to set up one of them for the fall.
the member of staff was even asked by the manager to lie for him who in turn came to me for advice as to what to do. I advised him just tell the truth. don't lie. trust me.
he did and the auditor absolved him of any wrong doing.
the manager at one point came to me and I asked him whats happening? and he just said I think i'm a goner.
he left the store for half an hr and the auditor pulled me aside and told me he didn't believe a single word. he was a bad apple and would be suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation.
after he was suspended the area manager called me up and you could hear it in his voice he was shaken by what had happened. he trusted this guy as one of his top men. I could feel the sincerity in his voice for what I had done. he told me it took great courage to do what I did and he would be forever grateful for doing this. he said I had his full support and any time I wanted a chat, needed something in store etc I could call him up directly.
i was sat in the office taking this call and I honestly broke down in tears. I felt validated in my actions. right then, my fears were washed away.
two nights previous to the phone calls I was breaking down from the stress of whether it was the right thing to do. I couldn't spend time with anyone at home. not my wife or my kids. I was shuffling from one place to another.
but in that moment of that phone call it just lifted. I took a moment to compose myself. and just walked out with a huge smile.
today investigation interviews of the rest of the staff took place and each one dug a deeper hole for him. i'd talked to each of them before as they they believed that their jobs might be under risk. I told them go tell the truth and don't be afraid. i'd look after them and make sure nothing happened to their jobs. what they had done they had done under the managers orders.
one by one each one collaborated my suspicions. even his closest right hand man told the auditor details I was not aware of. he came to me after and said it was like washing all my wrong doing away.
I decided not to tell any of the staff that I whistle blew on him. No one else has leaked this out too. I'm sure they have their suspicions that how come one minute we're having informal chats and then the next minute they're having full investigation into that.
I'm just grateful for their support.
tomorrow I have my interview with the auditor. I don't know what else I can add to what has already been said. He's going to be as good as gone.
one unexpected fallout from this is that the staff are all asking me now to take over the reigns. i've had the head auditor recommend me to the area manager and the owners of the company. other store managers have offered me assistance and encouraged me to take over. my head is still all over the show - so much to do still what the previous manager should've done. i've taken a stance of lets get over this chapter officially first...
TL:DR the manager has been suspended - further harder evidence has emerged that even I was not aware of. area manager is grateful for stepping up and reporting him. All the staff backed my accusations with similar stuff.
to the people who encouraged me on here - thank you. it really did help. when you don't know what support your going to get - even the words of strangers who are all CEO's are useful. with goatee beards. drinking cans of red bull.
Tyre Tread said:
Please let us know how your interview goes with the auditor tomorrow.
he found a few transactions that further incriminated him. he was busy all day and every time I spoke to him - he'd find another one and said to me i'm just scratching the surface here. Tonsko said:
Amazing. Both for you, obvs, and for the company - nice to know that the top bosses are doing what they should be. Now you (and your staff, hopefully! 
) can take full confidence in your senior management. Win all round.
he got told about more emerging evidence of thefts by the manager and he was fuming. He's told HR that he personally wants to do the disciplinary. he wants to look the manager in the eye and ask him why he betrayed his trust so badly. ) can take full confidence in your senior management. Win all round.kev b said:
Well done, you did the right thing and have not suffered for it, time to catch up on your sleep.
I cynically feared that it would end badly for you as I have seen this happen. What's the betting that the guilty party will soon be telling everyone that you stitched him up to steal his job?
the good thing is that none of the staff really hang around with each other outside work - so it doesn't matter - he's got no one to say it to. aside from people in the store a lot of people are slowly coming to the realisation he did do this. when the CEO and the top audit guy are believing this then there must be some truth in this. I cynically feared that it would end badly for you as I have seen this happen. What's the betting that the guilty party will soon be telling everyone that you stitched him up to steal his job?
even if I did do this to steal his job - he didn't deserve it the way he abused it all. he had such a cushy number but sometimes its just not enough.
TheJimi said:
Why let you get as far as the interview stage then if he already knew this to be the case?
I don't understand that at all.
I don't either. I do have that thought that this was a bit of lip service. Something given to me for what I did rather than merited. I don't understand that at all.
It just feels a little bit like taking a punch on the chin rather than a pat on the back. He's said that he's going to give a serious thought to the candidate before offering him the job on Monday. So even though I've been ruled out no one is definite either. All that is definite is that I won't be getting it.
So.... the next question is.... how and when are they providing the training? - so that when the opportunity does come round.......
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