Work Related Issues [ UK ]

[Shaun.P]

Hi there,

I work in a Cinema in the UK. Since I have worked there, other members of staff on tills give other members of staff unofficial 'discounts'. For example, if a member of staff was to buy a drink at £2.50, the person at the till would press a button that is associated with a cheaper product. i.e. 80p - just to be nice. We are mostly all friends where we work. Yes this is a form of stealing and it isn't exactly right, but it's just something we always seem to have done. The cinema pays us a crap wage, talk to us rubbish etc etc. This obviously doesn't mean that what we do is right, but it gives us a reason.

Anyway - last night myself and a friend, who also works at the cinema brought items to the till, off duty. We were in seeing a film. We got a substantial discount. Due to circumstances relating to the till user, we were asked what we took to the till. We lied. However cameras have been checked and we have been found out. My friend who saw the film with me went into work today and was sent home - 'Paid Suspention'. Whilst a disaplinery procedure is underway.
I take it the same thing will happen to me, and the person on the till when we turn up for our shifts.

I was wondering if they are allowed to give disaplinaries to employees to circumstances that happen off duty? What is the legal side on this?

I did go to the till to pay for my items. However I paid like £1 for £8 worth of stuff. Technically, did I or my friend steal? I was aware I was getting a discount and so was she, but didn't ask for it and we did go to a till to pay - we simply didn't walk out. I am worried about my friend who served us at the till - the person who gave us the discount.

The manager who is doing this is only doing it to be petty. She has this disliking for me and my friend who served me on the till and she is perfectly aware other people give people discounts at tills and this is not an isolated case. It happens all the time we all give each other discounts because the cinemas prices are a joke.

Anyway what is the stance on this? Can I or my friend be sacked for doing something off duty like we done?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I will probably get spoken to and sent home on paid suspension on Saturday so I have some time to thing what I am going to say. I'm not proud of myself and don't 'steal' from other shops or stuff but its just that way since I started there everyone else done it and it just didn't seem wrong.

Any thoughts?

 

[BoyBach]

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm sure that it would count as 'gross misconduct,' which would make it a 'sackable' offence.

 

[MalcolmJID]

See, had you told them truthfully what you had taken to the till, this may not have been a problem. I understand that would be killing out a workmate, but as you lied about what you bought, then your boss will have known you were "in on it".

I'm really not sure what will happen, or where you stand. But as you realise it was wrong, this shouldn't come as a shock.

 

[®îçhå®?]

First things first, start looking for another job. If i were you, i wouldnt be concerned for yourself but for your friend. You could swear blindly that you had no idea about the discount etc etc and that you lied because you knew that you wernt paying the full amount.
It is not stealing for you if you did not operate the till but all of you could be sacked and, if they do decide to preceed, your friend could be prosecuted for theft but the manager would have to be really pissed to do that

 

[beefy23]

I was wondering if they are allowed to give disaplinaries to employees to circumstances that happen off duty? What is the legal side on this?

I did go to the till to pay for my items. However I paid like £1 for £8 worth of stuff. Technically, did I or my friend steal? I was aware I was getting a discount and so was she, but didn't ask for it and we did go to a till to pay - we simply didn't walk out. I am worried about my friend who served us at the till - the person who gave us the discount.

Anyway what is the stance on this? Can I or my friend be sacked for doing something off duty like we done?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I will probably get spoken to and sent home on paid suspension on Saturday so I have some time to thing what I am going to say. I'm not proud of myself and don't 'steal' from other shops or stuff but its just that way since I started there everyone else done it and it just didn't seem wrong.

Any thoughts?

I would suggest that you have a look at the small print of your employment contract - it may refer to things like this which could be classed a breach of trust or misuse of company privileges etc. They may well be within their rights to instigate disciplinaries on this - brace yourself.

You could chalk this down as experience in the workplace - it will give you something to guard against at other places of employment.