At work, we have a warehouse and an office in the building. During the Holiday season, we have a program to assemble gift sets, which requires hiring extra help for the season. About two to three months ago, a lady from the warehouse working on this project told me during a conversation that $30 was missing from her purse, which she left in the cafeteria because there was no other place for seasonal help to put their belongings. She did not make a big deal about it because she had no proof of who took the money. In addition, she did not speak English and so she did not know how to communicate to management what had happened. I asked her if she wanted me to explain the situation to management, but she told me not to do that because she had no proof of who did it. Only a few people in the office knew that the company has surveillance cameras in the cafeteria. If I spoke up, it meant that the culprit would lose their job when caught. I had no idea who took the money; it could have been one of my close friends at work or it might have been a person to whom I barely speak. I had an ethical dilemma because if I chose to just let it go, the person who took the money would get to keep their job, but it bothered me that someone could be going into someone else’s belongings and stealing from them. In the end, I went up to management and told them about the situation. They reviewed the cameras, and in fact, we were able to see who took the money. The young woman who stole the money was fired on the spot.

1. Was it right for me to report the problem to management? Considering all the facts, would you have done the same?

2. In making your decision, were you affected by the fact that the thief could have been one of your friends? Do you have any moral obligations to friends?

3. Did the fact that the woman who was robbed asked you not to say anything affect your decision? Do you feel she had any rights not to be observed via surveillance without her knowledge?

4. What else could you do to rectify the situation?