Asking for CCTV footage?

[Lt. Manlove]

Wouldn't a calm smacked wrist and "don't do that again, call a manager next time" be a more professional response, and a more proportionate reaction, than firing someone?

Yes it really would, but even the area manager, store manager and his staff are fed up with him.

Cheers for the info guys. Much appreiciated!

 

[stoofa]

I completely agree, stoofa, about "acceptable reaction" and "everyone does it" but ..... isn't dismissal a rather silly response to two free stamps? Wouldn't a calm smacked wrist and "don't do that again, call a manager next time" be a more professional response, and a more proportionate reaction, than firing someone?

Don't get me wrong - after reading the OP then yes, I think dismissal is terrible.
It is an over-reaction, or so it would seem and I'm surprised any company would come down that hard on somebody for such a thing.
However I am just hearing one side of the story - pls take no offence.

Also if you do overstep your "mark" so to speak and do something and they can sack you then really is there any point fighting it?
Remember this is a world when you can be sacked for eating say a 5p sweet, an apple or something as it is in fact classed as theft.
If I worked for say Tesco and I ate an apple and was then fired.
Sure I'd be ****** off, sure I'd have something to say but at the end of the day I knew the rules and they can do to me what they like - there would be no point fighting it.

In this situation from what I'm reading yes it is pathetic but if you are working in a position where you aren't authorised to offer compensation and you do so you unfortunately have to be ready for the worst to happen...

 

[Sequoia]

.......

Also if you do overstep your "mark" so to speak and do something and they can sack you then really is there any point fighting it?.....

Well, depends.

It has to be a fairly serious offence for a company to be able to summarily dismiss a person, and theft usually counts. But I can't see any way what Lt. M did counts as theft. It wouldn't (IMHO) morally, and it certainly wouldn't legally. The reason it wouldn't legally is that, by definition, theft requires a "dishonest" element, and there isn't one here.

As for whether it's worth fighting it, that rather depends on a number of issues, not least of which is how long you've been employed. If under a year, probably not. But, once over that (at least, IIRC that's the limit) you have statutory employment protection, and then may have a claim for unfair dismissal.

It's also worth remembering that companies have to have clear disciplinary procedures and, in terms of unfair dismissal claims, have to follow those procedures. A large number of unfair dismissal claims are unheld not because the company didn't have grounds for dismissal, but because it failed to follow it's own procedures and policies.

That's the sad thing about the law. In so many instances, it isn't about right and wrong, or about 'justice', but about getting your 'i's dotted and your 't's crossed, and your dots and commas in the right places. That's what so many people don't realise - being in the right isn't enough to win a legal case. But then, maybe that's just my age and cynicism talking.