Accused of Stealing What can I do?

Question

I work for Chain Video Store, for 5 years. One evening I came in for my shift at the end of the shift I counted petty cash and came up $20.00 short. (No money is counted between shifts) I relived a person who I believe took the money. My Manager has confronted both of us and says the only way this can be resolved is for me to pay 1/2 back or I will be written up and this issue will be on my permanent record. What can I do. I did not steel the money and I feel if I pay the 1/2 the money back I am guiltily. Also the other person had no problem paying her 1/2 back as soon as she was questioned.

Answer 1

Why should you have to pay anything.  Tills come up short all the time it's possible that neither one of you took the $20.  Any way since all you know is that you never took it then don't pay.  You boss is an idiot.

Answer 2

Pay the money, 20 dollar split 2 ways is a lot easier than getting fired or demoted.

Answer 3

Pay it under protest, Tell your employer you are willing to go for a polygraph test.When register is over what does your employer do with that money it should stay in a fund that makes up shortages,Draw should be counted between shifts this the managers responsibility

Answer 4

Tell your boss your surprised he would think you stoled from him after 5 yrs.  Tell him you will pay the one half this time but from now on the drawer has to be counted prior to your shift.

This should make him stop and think.

Answer 5

you know,for a job like this,your better off paying the money out of protest,and be real careful about who you deal with from now on. its just not worth fighting.

Answer 6

First of all, the only record that it will go on is your record with that company.  If he cannot prove it, that must also be stated on the record.  He may not tell reference checks that you stole the money when he has not proof.  You are not legally obligated to pay the $10.  I would look for another job.  Since he cannot prove that you stole, you don't have to pay.   However, he can make your job miserable and cut your hours way down.  I would call a regional manager.  Don't let that jerk boss of yours win this! Also, if he gives you a paper to sign, don't sign it.  He cannot terminate you for not signing.

Answer 7

Take him to court

Answer 8

For the lov-o-pete!  If you've been there 5 years and your manager is petty enough to think you stole $20, then I'd pay the $10 and then look for another job.

Answer 9

Dude, what the h**l, don't pay, your not in the wrong and it's not only $10, it's about principle, if you pay up, not only do you admit that you are guilty, but you are also showing them that you will do anything they ask and end up being their lapdog.

I actually think the manager took it, think about, he has made $20, not from stealing, but hustling from you and your colleague.  I suggest, you ask him for a thorough investigation and that an accusation of theft is a personal attack on yourself and your personality.  If that don't work, take him to court, who cares about a "record", when your clearly being manipulated.

If you pay up, now you will be a weak willed person later in life, I was accused once of taking an ipod from work once, I work in a huge IT retail company, well, because of that my rights were withdrawn and I argued non-stop, a week later, they found it in an old display cabinet and it wasn't written of the stock system, so I stood up to my boss and demanded a raise or that i'd take him to court for false accusations.  I know it sounds dodgy, but you would be suprised what people would do to protect their image or company name.

Answer 10

I can see where it could be easier to pay the $10 but I do not think it is fair to ask you to do so.  The manager should pay the $20 for not requiring each shift to count the cash!  As a manager, I would never require my employees to be accountable for cash without requiring them to count and verify at every shift change.  That is WRONG!  

I believe in standing up for one's integrity and I suggest that you refuse to pay and if the manager insists on entering this in your employment file then you should do two things.  First, request to be able to add a protest to file and state in it that you are refusing to pay because you did not take the money and feel that paying would make you look guilty and that you find the procedures to be unfair because there is no verification of cash on had at the beginning of your shift.  Second, contact this manager's supervisor.  If it's a chain video store that might be someone in the home office.  Let them know what has happened and that it isn't about the $10 but you believe you are being treated unfairly.

One other thing you might try is to volunteer to take a lie detector test.  You are under no obligation to do so but once I was accused of stealing at a job - many years ago.  It was a lot more than $10 and someone had taken great pains to make it look like it was me.  I had worked for my manager (who was also the owner) for several years at the time and he didn't really think I did it, but the evidence was really convincing.  If it had gone to court, I think a jury would have had a hard time not convicting me because as I said someone went to great pains to make it look like it was me.  I even had to admit that it looked like it was me!  I liked my job and wanted to keep it and I couldn't have afforded to pay the amount back anyway because it was more than I earned in 3 months.  The manager/owner didn't want to believe I did it but was faced with all this evidence.  I agreed to voluntarily take a lie detector test to show I didn't do it.  Turns out that I didn't have to take one because another employee refused to do so and later admitted she had taken the money and done everything she could to make it look like it was me because she was my boss's daughter and had worked there longer than me and was jealous that I was the assistant manager instead of her but as the daughter she had access to everything she needed to make it look like it was me.  I continued to work for that manager/owner for several more years and even became the manager later when he opened a second location - and I continued to be the daughter's supervisor until she left the company a few years later.  My point is that this doesn't have to mean a permanent rift in your relationship with your manager or an end to your job.  Stand firm in your integrity and let the rest take care of itself.  

Good luck!

Answer 11

Write them a check copy it send it to his boss and ask why a low level associate should be subject to extortion.

Answer 12

If you've been working there for 5 years with a spotless record, so don't worry about one bad mark. You didn't steal anything, so don't pay. And her willingness to pay sounds suspicious.

Why isn't the money counted between shifts?

Are you sure the money was stolen? Maybe someone screwed up when they were breaking a 50 or something.

Answer 13

tell him you didnt do it and he doent have any proof seeing how they dont count the cash in between shifts so he has no right to accuse you of steeling it.

Answer 14

Buy it

Answer 15

Don't pay a penny, Poppet.

If you know you are in the clear,and your Manager is asking you to pay ,Tell him/her to call in the law.

Management have no right to accuse staff without proof,

let alone insist they pay the missing sum.

At least that is the case here in the UK.

Answer 16

Do they have any CCTV footage to go back and look at?

Maybe it might be best just paying it and just knowing within yourself that she is a thief... and watch her.... also... she readily paid the money so your boss will be thinking she is innocent...

Answer 17

Just pay up.

It's $10 and your record will be clean.

There's not really much you can do besides get fired for arguing even more or getting written up.

Answer 18

Well your manager really is not dealing with this like a fair manager. I know that this is a stretch but you should contact the owner of the business to report him, or does your manager have a supervisor or someone to report to. I know that you are innocent, and talking to him may not help but it may be worth a try. If all else fails then either pay it back and find a new job or stay with this company. After 5 years I would hope that an establishment would trust their employees but that's the world we live in today. I understand your problem and hope that you can get it resolved. Once again maybe talking to your manager face to face will help but try to be helpful not confrontation. This is a sticky situation Good luck and god bless!!!!

Answer 19

Well, it's kinda fair that you pay the money 1/2 back since your boss doesn't have proof of who actually did it. You can try taking this to a lawyer, or something, but if I were you, I would just pay the 1/2 back or you can get yourself in a real tangle. Especially if the other person had no problem with paying the 1/2 back. They'd be questioning you more.