To think they've blown this way out of proportion (work related)

[Jessiepops]

I work for a hotel as a housekeeper.
As well as the standard rooms there is an option is to pay an extra fee on top of the room rate for an upgraded room, where they get a few extras like bathrobes, slippers,a range of complimentary drinks and what not.
Today whilst cleaning a room, I went to throw what I thought was an empty soft drink can away and noticed the can was un-opened, since whoever had paid for it didn't want it I opened it, had a drink and put it on my trolley.
A while later one of the managers came up to check my sheet, and asked where the can had come from, I told her it was what a guest had left in their room and she started going on about gross misconduct! And how it would affect her budget, for 1. I offered to pay for it but she refused, It had already been paid for in the room rate so if any thing they were making a profit on it,
And 2. It was a can of pop! I don't see it being any different to when the other ladies make themselves a cup of tea in their rooms using tea, milk etc that's been left there.
Any how that was this morning, so I went down for lunch and everything was fine.
Started back to work and had a conversation with said manager and another housekeeper about the pop, everything was light hearted, and the other housekeeper mentioned that she'd done the same thing herself before.
So it gets to 15 minuets before I'm due to clock out and the manager appers saying she needs to send me home as she's spoke to the head manager and they're suspending me till further notice.
I'm shocked to be honest, it was a can of pop for gods sake, it says on the letter that I was steeling supply's and why did they allow me to work for a further 3 hours before they sent me home?
So now I'm sat worrying that I'm going to lose my job over drinking a can of pop!

I worked with someone who lost a full time job for stealing a pack of 99p knickers. It's not the value that's important when you work with goods that belong to others.

I hope she doesn't lose her job too but if there is a zero tolerance approach then there isn't much she can do.

If for some reason I didn't want anyone to have it I would put it in the bin.

You would put perfectly good, unused items in the bin

Well yes, someone does want it - the Hotel that paid for it in the first place.

Suggest you check your household insurance policy to see if you have legal expenses insurance. It often covers the cost of advice from employment lawyers

*From Theft Act 1968:

A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.

A person’s appropriation of property belonging to another is not to be regarded as dishonest... if he appropriates the property in the belief that he would have the other’s consent if the other knew of the appropriation and the circumstances of it.

Therefore it wasn't theft.*

But it was theft - from the hotel.

Dear Christ, all this for a can of soda! I'm sorry this is happening to you. I know it wasn't yours to take, blah blah blah...Next time I am on holiday, I am going to pop the tops on all that complimentary shit and leave a note to housekeeping to please help themselves as I have opened everything.

If they do not have a policy outlining their disciplinary process and what they consider to be gross misconduct then they would need to consider if their reaction is "within the band of reasonable responses". I disagree with what others say about others doing it in that it shows that there is a culture of employees feeling that making teas, taking cans is acceptable. They need to reiterate their policy and the actions that will follow, especially if they have knowingly allowed this to go on, before they can come down hard on everyone. I agree it is theft however I think suspension is over the top and a warning would be appropriate. However with only one years service I'm afraid you have very little employment rights. Good luck.

Although I did technically steal it in my mind at the time I didn't realise, to me it was just an unwanted can of pop, the person had took it out if the fridge along with the rest of the drinks but left it on the side, they'd checked early that morning and I doubted they'd be returning for a can of pop so just didn't see the harm, the hotel had been paid for it,,, but now I do see why I was in the wrong if it makes them feel any better it was warm and I didn't enjoy it lol

"I usually leave stuff behind in hotels and assume/hope the staff will take it:"

What if you accidentally left your laptop behind? I doubt you'd be impressed if the cleaner decided it was fair game and took it home.

Obviously a can of fizzy doesn't compare to a laptop- and no one's gonna drive 200 miles back for a can of coke, but there must be a whole grey area of things that guests leave behind by mistake that they'd really rather didn't get swiped by house-keeping such as expensive make-up or a tenner on the Chester draws.

I think it's sensible for hotels to have a blanket policy of house-keepers not taking anything at all that guests have left behind.

I think it makes a difference to ownership of the pop if the guest paid for it or not. If the guest paid a definite price, i.e. took it from the mini bar and had an item on the bill then it belonged to the guest. If the hotel offered it as a complimentary service to the guest staying in the room then the hotel owned it.
I think the OP indicated this was a complimentary drink as part of the upgrade, therefore owned by the hotel. Their response has clearly indicated that they would not be happy for it to be taken and there was obviously an intention to permanently deprive because you can't give it backed when it's opened!
What other staff do and don't do is important in this case - it's called custom and practice, and it needs to be shown that this goes on regularly with management either encouraging or turning a blind eye.
I would suggest the OP sees the citizen's advice bureau if not a member of a union.

Op please post this in the employment section. I think you've been given s hard time. Afaik it it is VERY relevant what your colleagues do, if you were to be disciplined.

Custom and practice. thabk you. Knew it had a name. Op you've had dodgy advice on this thread, pls get proper advice

I agree to go to employment/legal but I struggle to think custom and practice will extend to taking items that do not belong to the employee. But maybe I'm wrong!

They are being ridiculous. This is the sort of thing any sensible person would just tell you not to do again. There bust be something more behind it.

OP as you've only been there a year you have very few rights. All this talk of custom and practice, teas and coffees being made by other staff, suspension, fair procedure etc is irrelevant. If they want to sack you for this they can.

Agree with stealth, post in the employment section.
You made a mistake, you apologised, you offered to pay. Others are doing it, no official comms not to, you probably haven't signed anything to say you can't drink leftover cans of pop. I've worked in a bar where we could help ourselves to soft drinks, Offices often provide tea and coffee etc. How were you to know you couldn't?
I think the manager has clocked you doing it, the other woman says she's done the same, manager has worked out if everyone does that once a day every shift that week it means that she would be down on money compared to if no one did it and rather than call a meeting and say no more helping yourselves she's used you as an example.

I really hope you don't get fired. Go into the meeting prepared, take in notes if you need to, explain that you didn't know it wasn't allowed as it is common practice, but now you do you are sorry. Don't go in wanting a fight but be prepared to stand up for yourself.

I think you are getting a really hard time on there OP. I DID LOADS OF HOUSKEEPING JOBS WHILST TRAVELLING and the artitude of management to what staff did with 'found stuff' varied wildly.

One place that was REALLY strict On all sorts of things like timekeeping ( out hours were recorded to the second) incredibly strict uniform policy etc had a finders keepers artitude to any consumables found in rooms. To the point that skint backpackers like us were able to live off the takings, I remember getting a full bottle of chilled wine and box of chocs ( both unopened) to take home one night when a guest didn't take it. No need to ask management in each instance it was just a known perk of the job..

Some other seemingly very lax places would sack you for not handing in a 3/4 empty bottle of own brand supermarket shampoo left in the bathroom.

So I can totally understand your mistake if you have worked in a couple of places like my first example.

I think in your shoes as well as looking at legal advice I'd explain to management that you have worked in a few places that had a more lax attitude, and that you realise it was wrong, won't do it again, blah blah etc.

I think it is more likely they either worried thinking you are fundamentally untrustworthy or need to set an example to other staff.

They can't punish you for doing something that others knowingly do yet take no action against them - thats called discrimination.

I hope your manager isn't an MN'er though op, your early posts were quite blasé. If it were me I might think about getting MNHQ to pull it, just in case.

How is it discrimination?! Unless the op is being unfairly treated because of her sex, age etc then it's not discrimination.

Jesus, I think this is ridiculous. By all means they could give you a warning, but skipping right to suspending you over something so minor seems massively unfair. I understand that others are saying it's technically theft etc, but given that it was just a can of fizzy drink and you had a pretty reasonable justification for thinking it would be OK to take it surely the appropriate action would be a warning and a clear explanation of where lines are drawn and why they need to be able to trust you 100%. Not potentially losing your job, god.

I'm just going to apologise to them and hope they can see that it really was just a mistake.
The one thing that bugging me now is that on the letter that's written by the head manager, they've written that "following our earlier meeting we are suspending you........."
There was no earlier meeting, I'd not seen the head manager all day it was the housekeeping manager who spoke to me, so I'm wondering what earlier meeting they could be referring to?
The head housekeeper and I spoke briefly on the corridor and then had a laugh and a joke when the other housekeeper admired shed also done the same in the past, she then came back later with the letter and said I had to leave,
There was no earlier meeting?

Admitted she'd,,,, sorry for the spelling errors my body wants sleep but my minds just not having lol

Add that to your list of questions.

She's probably using the word meeting to make it sound more official