Selling One's Work Benefits For Profit

In My Humble Opinion
1

This situation just came up where I work and I was wondering what you all think.

At my job, the management gets a free parking space. This costs the company $200 per month. When I took this job, I explained that I would not need it, as I don’t have a car, I live in Chicago.

So they said, in place they’d give me a monthly pass to the CTA. This has a value of $100.

This is all fine and well and I am happy with it.

But last week they found out one of the managers who had worked there for five years didn’t have a car in all that time. He was instead, selling that space. I work in the Streeterville area, and parking is hard to come by.

So evidently he was making a very nice profit, and the whole thing has kind of blown up. I don’t know how I feel about it.

The management was furious as they say they are out the money they paid for the space (12 months @ 200/month, times five years is $12,000).

On one hand I can see their point, but on the other, it’s a benefit. I mean I use my monthly CTA pass for personal use on the days I’m not there. But on the flip side, I only get $100 worth of benefit not $200 worth, which people that get a space get.

The parking lot is located two lots down from our building and we don’t own the spaces or lot, we just pay the rent, and this whole thing came to a head as people he was renting out to, started to come into the office.

So what do you think about this and similar situations.

It doesn’t effect me any and I’m quite happy with my benefit, especially after being out of work for over a year.

2

He shouldn’t have sublet the space. I put it right up there with a former coworker who conducted his personal side business in the office during company hours using company assets (computer, copier, time.) The things that a company provides for you to do your job are not your personal things.

Many years ago, my husband worked for a company in Jacksonville FL, and one of the bennies was that employees could use the company’s beach-front condo for cheap if it wasn’t being used by clients or the mucky-mucks. We had to pay a token fee to use it, but $30/night for a penthouse right on the ocean is a pretty sweet deal. It would have been a bad thing for us to reserve it, then rent it out to friends or family and pocket the difference. Heck, it would have been bad for us to rent it out even without taking a profit.

3

I think this is one of those “if you wonder, ask” situations. He was concealing what he was doing, so he had some idea that the situation would not be tolerated if it were known. It really doesn’t matter whether or not it’s “fair”: they were willing to provide him with a parking space for his use, they weren’t willing to provide him with a parking space to rent out. Who cares if it’s logical? He could have negotiated for a transit pass, or a pay increase, or just told them what he planned to do. But he tried to be clever about it, and now they will probably fire him for it. Again, it doesn’t have to be “fair”.

4

Absolutely correct. It’s not about the benefit, its about the deception. Your own case, AndyLee, is an excellent example. “I can’t use this benefit.” Without your even asking, your employer offered a similar (if not equal value) benefit to you. That speaks well of them.

Benefits aren’t the same thing as salary. If your co-worker had negotiated the difference up front to trade the benefit for salary or a different benefit, there would be no problem. Instead of having this conversation like you did, your co-worker decided to take the benefit and resell it, which could actually be in violation of their contract with the parking garage. It’s not unreasonable to assume that your company receives a discount that precludes reselling the spaces.

Your co-worker’s behavior does not speak well of him. It marks him as a dishonest person. He shouldn’t get fired for it if it wasn’t strictly forbidden, but he should polish up his resume and start using it. He breached the company’s trust and his future there probably isn’t so bright.