That’s a great idea!
Ursula isn’t really my boss’ boss, so much as she’s a free-lance manager who was been sent in by our franchise owner to help get the store back on track. I’m sure he’d be interested to know that her method of getting things back on track is lying.
Thanks for all the help, everybody.
First, I’d talk to all the other guys & ask them how they feel about this time-doctoring idea & being part of a conspiracy to defraud the company.
I have a feeling that when the management finds out about this time-doctoring they are gonna clear out their inventory of employees who went along with the idea. After all, its not the Army, you don’t have to follow questionable orders.
There is nothing you can do. Bend over or quit.
I was in the same situation 2 years ago. After stacking pallets for a year I got my big promotion in record time: loading trucks with a forklift. Before loading the pallets, you weigh them and subtract 10%. I though this was unethical and strange, stranger even than the fact that my superior used a calculator to do this. Unlike your situation a law regarding maximum weights for trucking was being broken. I quit. The big boss called and asked for a “man to man” meeting to discuss why they do this but refused categorically to go into it on the phone. I declined.
I have to warn you though, the balm of self-righteousness makes a crummy sunscreen. Right now I’m working on my tan. Good luck.
Since you work in a franchise environment, you may actually manage to get away with the “Could you put it in writing…” tactic. Since, to really count, the policy must be documented somewhere. After all, don’t you really need to be clear on the procedure at all times? And don’t you need an authoritative document to wave at your fellow employees as you exhort them on to further heights in fast-food service?
tisiphone:
I doubt that thay are ISO certified and require docoumentation on all subjects. I personally would not go along with it, and would let the owners know what shit this lady was doing. I would also be documenting everything I could to save my ass. Getting the other person fried, would be my top priority, and I meant fried. A tape recording made by me while talking to this person, might not make it in court, but the owners would love to hear it. They would then know what she was like.
Since there’s no legal issue here, seems to me there’s two main issues, which sort of cycle back and forth:
(1) Moral Issue: you’ve been asked to lie in a way that gives an advantage (favorable ratings) to the person asking you to lie. Are you comfortable with that at all? If not (which seems to be the case), then you need to figure out how to react.
(2) Consequences: Other than making her ratings look better, what are the other consequences of you lying? Some have suggested that it will make the drivers look bad, since the extra time will go on their records. Your response may therefore be different if someone else is being hurt by this request. That is, it might be easier to comply with lying if no one is being hurt by it (we all do “little white lies” from time to time.)
So that’s what I would think goes into the decision on whether to comply.
If you decide NOT to comply, there are several reactions you can have. The choice depends on factors that we can’t judge, like how much you need the job, how much power Ursula has to cause trouble for you, how much of a fuss you think this is worth making (don’t stir up a huge to-do if this is a little nothing). Most of these were already noted:
Subtle Responses:
(a) The Sneaky Reaction: Say yes but do no. That is, nod your head that you’ll do it, but then “forget” and mark down the correct times.
(b) The “ask for it in writing” approach. I like that one, very creative. On the surface, friendly and cooperative and compliant… but forces Ursula to think about what she’s asked, and gives you ammunition if needed/wanted now or later.
Overt Responses:
©Let Ursula’s boss know what’s been asked.
(d) Refuse point blank, on the grounds that it’s not right. Period. (If she threatens to fire you or make trouble for you, you’ll presumably have a chance to tell your side of the story, which won’t look good for her – she may think you won’t be believed, but she may not KNOW that and she might be unwilling to take the risk
Again, you might want to think through the consequences of each action. Taking a moral stance is certainly noble, but there are good ways and there are awkward ways, so think through the consequences of whichever action you choose.
Them’s my thoughts.
Doesn’t this belong in a forum like Great Debates or MPSIMS or somethin?
Maybe now that it’s been determined that there’s no hard-and-fast legal remedy, yes. I think GQ was initially the right place to find that out, but now that it’s about soliciting recommended courses of action, a jump might be in order.
I’ve got a background in HR, and I’ll confirm what others have said, that because there’s no law being broken, going to an attorney or whatever would basically be a waste of time. You have three general options: You can suck it up and follow directions, you can quit on principle, or you can take a flyer and risk reprisal by some scheme of resistance.
I like the “put it in writing” idea, but you’ll have to be really careful how you play it lest you arouse suspicion. You’ll probably be best off getting some other workers on your side; maybe one person says, “Can I get the new procedure written down for reference?” and another person, separately and independently, says, “Can we put a sign on the computer that reminds us what we’re supposed to do? It’s gonna take a bit to get used to the new procedure.”
Then you write an anonymous letter to the head office, local franchise owner, or both. Don’t put your name on it. Whistleblower protection rarely extends to lowly doughslingers. Just say, “This manager is cooking the books, I strongly advise that you come down and make a surprise inspection without telling anybody. I fear reprisals, so I’m remaining anonymous. I’ll identify myself after I’m confident that the manager will be appropriately disciplined and my position as a loyal, honest employee secured. Without this assurance, I remain anonymous. Ball’s in your court.” If they ignore it, nothing comes back to you personally. If they don’t, Ursula gets caught red-handed, and you look like a hero to The Man. You can pick up your gold watch and the kick in the ass in forty years.
This has drifted a bit out of GQ territory, hasn’t it? The moral/ethical question seems to have been answered, at least for purposes of the OP, so I’ll put it in IMHO rather than GD.
Forgive me if I am wrong but I thought that fast food delivery drivers were on a delivery time related bonus.
I seem to recall sometime in the past that a company was actually sued when an employee had a vehicle accident and claimed it was because of the company policy of bonus payments, and what’s more the driver and other victim of the accident were succesful.
It seems to me that by tranferring time onto the delivery workers would jeopardise their bonuses plus they would be under pressuure to break the law by speeding and could open the company, or at least the manager whose policy this appears to be, to legal proceedings if an incident occurs as a result.
I wonder if its a way to save money on bonuses, which would increase profits and make the manager look good rather than the seemingly more obvious making the kitchens look good.
Perhaps if the manager realised that a company had been sued succesfully for the consequencies of pressurising the delivery drivers she might reconsider.