Taking stuff that isnt yours

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually quite enjoy returning lost items to their owners! Cash I would keep as it's pretty much impossible to reunite with it's owner, everything else would be returned to the owner or handed in.
 
Freefaller said:
Erm no I work for a big FTSE100 company I'm very much in touch, furthermore I'm relatively senior - just because your experiences are different doesn't mean that it's the norm either old bean ;)
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You work in a relatively senior position at a big FTSE100 company.

Do you think that most people work in a relatively senior position at a big FTSE100 company?

Or anything like it?

Sure different companies have different policies, but exceptional circumstances often lead to deal with the case each at a time.
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At your level, it might be fine to take an hour off without notice.

Most people are not in a similar position. For most people, it would not be considered harsh to reprimand them for taking an hour off without notice.

Anyway, if you have no intention of handing it why pick it up in the first place - if you're not going to do the right thing, don't become the lowest denominator.
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If you read my posts, you'll notice that I do hand things in, and advocate that other people should do the same. Posts 178, 181, 182, 184 and 200.

Most people don't have the same degree of freedom and luxury that you have, but that doesn't mean we're all thieves. A few notes in a wallet is no doubt of far more value to me than to you, but that doesn't mean I'd steal them. I can't just take an hour off work like you can, but that doesn't mean I'll steal stuff rather than handing it in. It means that I'd have to return to work and request permission to go hand it in to the police.

My point was that your statement about what is normal and what is harsh regarding terms of employment is far removed from the norm, not that theft is justified by convenience.
 
gambitt said:
I agree. The only people I know who could get away with this include my manager, his manager etc. and one of my mates who is a carpenter and works for himself.

The majority of people who work in offices, shops and restaurants and answer to a team leader would definitely be reprimanded. Only the more senior members of staff can come and go as they please and I seriously doubt that they out number the generic office drones, thus you are correct.
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That's exactly what I was referring to. Although in my case, due to oddities in licensing laws there are some situations in which even my manager wouldn't be free to do so and there would always be a possibility that he'd be reprimanded by his manager for it.
 
Ah well, sucks to be you. :)

And I never denied you didn't hand things in. This is, what this thread is about anyway, not management 101. I still find it hard to believe that most managers or businesses would be so anal or arsey about doing a good deed, but hey ho, too bad eh? :) Well done on handing stuff in in your free time then - wish more people were like you. :)
 
I old work collegue of mine went to lloyds tsb one lunch to withdraw some money, withdraw what he needed then went to one of the little shelf things where you fill out cheques etc . There was a large white bulging envelope. He had a quick peek and to his suprise saw a huge wad of £20's and a withdrawel receipt totalling just over £5k.

He stood there for a minute and considered casually walking out with it but had a good turn and handed it in. If that had been me i would have seriously thought about walking with it but then again i would have done what he did, thats a lot fo money to someone, maybe a deposit on a car, plus you'ld be on cctv in the bank.

Temptation that strong is sometimes hard to resist i guess. When he got back to work he spent the rest of the day wondering why he didnt take the cash..

Purse,bag, phone etc i would hand in. A digital camera or £20 note no. Once found a old digital camera several years ago but it died 10months after i found it lol
 
breman1972 said:
I always hand in lost property i find on my coach, Perisables get thrown out in 24hrs if not claimed by the depot, Everything else gets given to me if not claimed in 3 month. Loose change when I sweep up is mine for the coffee machine:).

OT people really should be more carefull with there property, The amount of stuff I find is unbelieveable.
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When I was a boy, I was given a look around the lost property room at Paddington station. It was the size of a small warehouse. You find a lot of stuff on a coach - imagine how much is found on trains at a London terminus.

I remember being surprised by the number of walking sticks. Surely someone would realise very quickly if they didn't have the walking stick they used for walking? Crutches. False legs. All sorts of stuff.

MoD stuff used to turn up every now and then. It was papers in those days, of course. Staff disliked those, because it was usually a pain in the arse for whoever found them and some of the MoD people were very stroppy about it.
 
I'd always hand things in that i've found. Not that i've ever found much stuff that's been left behind or lost. But anyway, far be it from me to put a political angle on a thread, but we all know the only time it's alright to take stuff that doesn't belong to you is when you're in government. Then, among other things, you can thieve from peoples private pensions to top up your own but it's still legal (apparently). ;)
 
Freefaller said:
Ah well, sucks to be you. :)

And I never denied you didn't hand things in. This is, what this thread is about anyway, not management 101. I still find it hard to believe that most managers or businesses would be so anal or arsey about doing a good deed, but hey ho, too bad eh? :) Well done on handing stuff in in your free time then - wish more people were like you. :)
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Things have always been very different in different socio-economic classes, with much less flexibility further down. Such is the way of things. Most people wouldn't even think of it as anal or arsey.

Basically, I'm the modern version of a peasant and you're the modern version of a seneschal. Different rules apply...and there are far more peasants than seneschals.

From my point of view, things could be far worse. I'm a peasant, but thanks to modern technology I have a life expectancy and standard of living that in some ways exceeds that of a monarch of just a couple of hundred years ago.
 
I've walked to a cashpoint before, only to see £120 in fresh cash just waiting there...

I took it, looked over to see the lady walking back to her car completely oblivious to the fact she'd left her money at the cashpoint, and ran over to her and gave it all back.

I got a pretty ungrateful 'oh thanks' type thing...

I found someones driving license in a club, got the number from directory enquiries, phoned them, and posted it back to them at my expense - my gain nothing, and a pretty ungrateful receipient too, but there you go.

But it's just something you do, like it has been said earlier in the thread, if its cash on a park bench or wherever, with no chance of giving it back to the owner, then keep it, but for items, cards, sentimental stuff, you should really make a point of returning it to it's owner.
 
Angilion said:
Things have always been very different in different socio-economic classes, with much less flexibility further down. Such is the way of things. Most people wouldn't even think of it as anal or arsey.

Basically, I'm the modern version of a peasant and you're the modern version of a seneschal. Different rules apply...and there are far more peasants than seneschals.

From my point of view, things could be far worse. I'm a peasant, but thanks to modern technology I have a life expectancy and standard of living that in some ways exceeds that of a monarch of just a couple of hundred years ago.
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Don't sell yourself short mate - it's just a shame your bosses would be so harsh as to not let you do a good deed. But as you say, different horses for different courses etc... At least you're one of hte good guys who tries to do the right thing.

I'm just lucky maybe - but in all my jobs I've always had a decent amount of flexibility - but maybe that's because I'm too proud?

As far as I'm concerned from what you've said about you and what I've read from what you've written in posts in the past you're far from a peasant. I'm the froggy peasant one after all ;)
 
It would be interesting to find out where some people draw the line at handing stuff in. How about seemingly worthless items that aren't worth the bus fare to pick them up? Some examples:

  • an ancient 256mb mp3 player
  • a pair of £1.99 sunglasses from ebay
  • Rick Astley greatest hits CD
  • a can of Lynx body spray
  • a whole apple (unbruised)
 
Loose cash - Keep
Wallet - Hand in (Especially with things like cards, licenses etc..)
Phone - Will keep untill rung. If i find it and it's already barred (been canceled) i'll envirophone it :)
 
Last year I found a mobile while out in town (I was drunk) so I put it in my pocket, and left it there until the morning. In the morning I called the person up and told them I had the phone and I would be in town in a few hours, if he wanted to meet me there and get it off me.

And then in came a huge earful of abuse calling me a thief. I can understand being annoyed at me not finding the person on the night, but I was drunk, and saving it for the morning seemed like the best option.

I definitely didn't get a "Thanks" off him. Wouldn't stop me returning lost stuff again though. Although, if I ever found something of his again, I would probably give it back to him over his head. :p
 
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