Been accused of stealing at work, help!

truthseeker_4

Work on a supermarket till, only been there a month aswell. Someone stole a till's worth apparently. And basically they said i'm pretty suspect as the only one "unaccounted for". I've never dealt with this kind of situation before. What's gonna happen? Will i get sacked? Criminal record? They said they sack people cos of stealing, but I mean stealing is a crime isn't it, isn't it a bit more serious than a sacking? Won't there have to be further investigations? :eek:

Oldernotwiser

I'm sure there'll have to be further investigations but, as an innocent party,you should welcome this as the opportunity to clear your name. If you're not already in your union, this would be an excellent time to join. Good luck.

Bismarck

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm sure there'll have to be further investigations but, as an innocent party,you should welcome this as the opportunity to clear your name. If you're not already in your union, this would be an excellent time to join. Good luck.

I would join the union anyway but you may find them less helpful if you join at the same time as something comes up...a bit like phoning to get private health care when you've been diagnosed with a serious illness...

There is a lot to consider here so be very careful with what you do and say - a thorough investigation should occur and you should welcome this.

floss2

There should be proper signing-on procedures for all tills, there should be cashing-up records, and there should be a proper investigation.

What sort of store is it? I guess it must be quite small if someone can swipe a whole till's worth of cash without anyone else noticing? Is there any CCTV?

Lorne

They need to evidence that you did it so welcome the investigation as you have nothing to hide. Get some advice from the union and show them that you are are willing to participate so that you too are accounted for.

Good luck and remember they need to prove you did it.

eyelinerprincess

They need to prove it, so if you didn't do it, you've nothing to be worried about.

I know someone who has been wrongly fired for the same thing, and she's going down the unfair dismissal route (she wasn't even there the days the money went missing! Work that one out.), though I hope it doesn't get to that for you, OP.

truthseeker_4

Ah thanks for the replies..no they can't prove it, obviously.

I'm not a member of the union! I knew i should have joined dammit, but it was only a part-time job for a few months...ok i'll try join now.

floss2 wrote: »

There should be proper signing-on procedures for all tills, there should be cashing-up records, and there should be a proper investigation.

What sort of store is it? I guess it must be quite small if someone can swipe a whole till's worth of cash without anyone else noticing? Is there any CCTV?

It's a massive store, and they have sign-on procedures and cash-up records, and they know the till it was taken from and the day. But they don't have cameras unfortunately. They just have evidence against me from their cash-up records. I did something I wasn't supposed to that looks suspect, but I only did it because I specifically asked the supervisor and she told me to do it this way. They're interviewing everyone else too, but i was the first and the only one that did anything suspicious on the till's records. So greeeaaat

PasturesNew

They say they have evidence from your till. Which might turn out to be wrong.
Maybe they mixed them up.

Although between you sat at the till and their checking process, there must be others in the frame too. And who knows, maybe you're the 3rd new person in a row that this has happened to ... and the real culprit is also now clearly in the trail for all three!

Good luck!

truthseeker_4

Oh dear.

*Goes to sign up to union*

"Only when we have received your signed form do you become a member. Please note that legal representation or advice will only be provided in respect of matters which occur following the commencement of your membership."

silverbullit

They may well decide to pursue disciplinary action against you, in whcih case the company must ensure that it follows the statutory disciplinary procedures (ie a) it informs you in writing what the allegations are, b) that it invites you to a disciplinary meeting (at which you have the right to be accompanied by a work colleague or trade union representative) at which you can provide any information that feel is relevant, c) it gives you a final decision in writing as to whether or not the company will impose a disciplinary sanction and, if so, your right to appeal against that decision).

You may wish to contact your local CAB for advice on these matters and the ACAS website also has useful information about your rights and responsibilities in these circumstances - https://www.acas.org.uk .

truthseeker_4

silverbullit wrote: »

They may well decide to pursue disciplinary action against you, in whcih case the company must ensure that it follows the statutory disciplinary procedures (ie a) it informs you in writing what the allegations are, b) that it invites you to a disciplinary meeting (at which you have the right to be accompanied by a work colleague or trade union representative) at which you can provide any information that feel is relevant, c) it gives you a final decision in writing as to whether or not the company will impose a disciplinary sanction and, if so, your right to appeal against that decision).

You may wish to contact your local CAB for advice on these matters and the ACAS website also has useful information about your rights and responsibilities in these circumstances - www.acas.org.uk .

Thanks for that info