I,m not a THIEF!!!!!!!!

Takeaway_Addict

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

.

Very Funny, lol.

Im surprised that nobody has said that you deserve to go to prison on this board!.

I would just explain again you borrowed the box as you were concerned about your sandwich being spoilt by pests. I would also get my own box in future.
If your sacked for this it would be very harsh and I would take it further if you been there over a year(or is it 2 now).The workplace shouldnt have infestations of rats etc and they need to be adhering to H and S legislation and addressing the problem properly.
They would probably pay you off as what buisness would want everyone knowing they were infested with flies and rats.!! Not good for buisness!

Thieving is thieving and there will be a lack of trust which would most likely make dismissal fair.

Two wrongs don't make a right...

Plus there isn't enough information to say anything about the 'infestation', for all we know the company could have a pest control guy who comes regularly but this is a new outbreak which obviously will take time to control

dandelionclock30

I personally dont think its theiving to take a lunch box in these circumstances. Rats and flies are carriers of salmonella and the OP was just making sure their lunch wasnt spoilt.
Things in life are not always so black and white really. The workplace should be glad that nobody has caught salmonella as they would have H and S over them like a rash.

Takeaway_Addict

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

I personally dont think its theiving to take a lunch box in these circumstances. Rats and flies are carriers of salmonella and the OP was just making sure their lunch wasnt spoilt.
Things in life are not always so black and white really. The workplace should be glad that nobody has caught salmonella as they would have H and S over them like a rash.

You are presuming the H&S is really bad, its actually the red herring. The OP could protect their food in many different ways that don't involve using company property without permission.

The OP screwed up, yes it maybe harsh to dismiss but it would most likely be fair

johnmc

You should have brought your own box in.

You have taken property from where it was supposed to be and used it for your own purposes. That is theft. No reasonable employer would tolerate that.

If you are lucky they won't involve the Police.

dandelionclock30

Involve the police- they would be a laughing stock ! lol,lol.

princessdon

You could have asked a supervisor

ie - I forgot my lunch box - is it OK to take a box (still not sure what we are dealing with here) and then replace it or pay for it.

Eg - I took a large envelope a month ago (job searching and didn't have a large enough envelope). I asked the boss (in writing/email) and was told it was fine.

I did replace it too -

If I hadn't asked permission - I would have risked being sacked for the sake of an envelope as yes they'd have viewed it as theft.

Did you ask? Was there anyone to ask?

Yorkie1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Notmyrealname
Theft is dishonestly taking someone elses property with the intention of permanently depriving the rightful owner of it [...]

Definition required slight adjustment.

The question of intention to permanently deprive the owner needs to be addressed. For the company's internal decision-making on this the weight of evidence does not have to be as strong as for a criminal case in court. They just need to hold a reasonable belief that there was such intent.

Further amendment is needed. For theft to occur, there is also required a dishonest intent.

sho_me_da_money

Any grounds for breach of DPA here?

Is covert recording allowed?
Did the OP sign something to say that they are allowed to secretly record?
Why were these covert recordings viewed without the OPs consent?
Were they viewing something and happened to catch the OP take a lunch box?

Notmyrealname

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

Any grounds for breach of DPA here?

Is covert recording allowed?
Did the OP sign something to say that they are allowed to secretly record?
Why were these covert recordings viewed without the OPs consent?
Were they viewing something and happened to catch the OP take a lunch box?

Yes you can be covertly recorded without your permission on private property.

marybelle01

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

You are presuming the H&S is really bad, its actually the red herring. The OP could protect their food in many different ways that don't involve using company property without permission.

We are also assuming that the OP's explanation stands up! The last few days I also had a "fly infestation" in my kitchen on account of the warm weather waking the *****'s up. Didn't last long though, and they are now dead as dodo's. As for rats, well everywhere has rats - there is never a time when there isn't a rat within feet of you (usually downwards, although the wet summer and floods has brought them above ground). That doesn't mean that they have a "rat problem" - it means they would need to deal with it. And we don't know they haven't.

And none of this explains why the OP didn't put their lunch in their own lunchbox - if I knew that my lunch was "at risk" then it'd be in a lunch box from the point of leaving home. In fact, it always is, anyway! But I am guessing we will never know the answer to that...