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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to whistleblow on my boss

44 replies

DunePeyton · 22/09/2023 22:51

I’m a secondary school teacher and my boss controls the departmental budget - at the start of the year she gave out some gift cards in order to reward students during the year. I didn’t think much of it till I overheard a conversation she was having with a colleague/best friend about bulk buying the gift cards and giving some to students, but she also regularly treats herself to the cards too. I have no idea what the amount adds up to, so it could be the odd card here or there, or it could add up to hundreds/thousands, but now I feel like it’s wrong and the cards handed out at the start of the year were a bit of a smokescreen to cover her real intentions of “helping herself” and this has really annoyed me.

However on a personal note, boss treats me quite well so have been a bit hesitant over this.

What should I do?

OP posts:

bopbey · 23/09/2023 07:52

It's not acceptable, but outside the public sector, people are fiddling expenses every day.

Are they?

morag1234 · 23/09/2023 08:02

I would stay out of this one because you could be wrong.

Just because she controls the departmental budge doesn't mean that she used this budget to purchase the gift cards. Perhaps she's a kind teacher who purchased them out of her own money? She buys in bulk but ends up using some of them on herself? It sounds like she was joking.

I cannot imagine going higher up and telling someone I'd heard something like that. Imagine you are wrong?

Ascendant15 · 23/09/2023 08:09

If you are quite sure that you didn't misheard/ misunderstand then I think you have to report it. There should be a full audit trail of what was bought and what has been given out.

But be absolutely sure that you are right about this, because anonymous or not, if the allegations made are false ( and possibly even if they aren't) they could taint the entire workplace. There is no such thing as a secret, and people will find out about the allegation, even if they don't know who made it. And everyone will be looking over their shoulder / gossiping etc.... Just because someone hasn't done anything wrong doesn't mean that some will feel that having allegations made anonymously doesn't impact on or affect them. Mistrust of one's colleagues can make a place very hard to work in.

Krystall · 23/09/2023 08:43

If you had actual evidence then I would definitely say you need to report. But I am not sure that you do. I have worked in finance for thirty years and coincidentally, currently in a school, and we don’t just let people buy gift cards and not account for them. I would be genuinely shocked if your school finance office does not have a process in place for tracking this expense.

Startingagainandagain · 23/09/2023 08:51

Report your concerns.

It is not up to you to gather ''evidence'' at this stage.

The school will have to do that if they decide to investigate further.

All you need to report is that you heard a conversation, that it worried you and that you felt you had to mention it as you felt it could mean that school funds are being used incorrectly.

Word it in this way and make it a concern rather than you making a firm accusation.

This woman should not be used funds in this way and she was silly to brag about it...

Startingagainandagain · 23/09/2023 08:53

''@luckylavender · Today 07:37

You have no evidence. Bide your time.''

As per my email above, she is not the one who needs to gather evidence...that will be the school's management/governors' job.

She is simply reporting a conversation and her concerns based on what she heard. They will then investigate further.

SerendipityJane · 23/09/2023 08:55

I'd suggest that any organisation with auditing so pisspoor they can lose the sums of money implied is certainly not going to have the capability of competently dealing with a whistleblower.

MasterBeth · 23/09/2023 08:59

Report what you've heard. A whistleblowing policy should keep that anonymous. You don't need to know all of the facts to report a suspicion.

SerendipityJane · 23/09/2023 09:11

A whistleblowing policy should keep that anonymous.

Yeah. And a good audit policy would have picked this up. If they can't do one, I wouldn't trust them to do the other. Not while I worked there anyway.

LlynTegid · 23/09/2023 09:12

I think you should report it. School budgets are tight in many places, even before you consider the ethical aspect.

SerendipityJane · 23/09/2023 09:24

LlynTegid · 23/09/2023 09:12

I think you should report it. School budgets are tight in many places, even before you consider the ethical aspect.

Not that tight, if this can go unnoticed ....

Howdoesitworkagain · 23/09/2023 10:41

Are you sure about what you heard?

Who is brazen or stupid enough to tell people that they use some of a school budget to treat themselves?

What if it’s one of these situations like school staff buying stationery with their own money? What if she’s paying for her own gift cards but adding them to the order to get the bulk discount? What if she means treating herself in a different way, like buying some new work equipment?

Now of course you don’t have to know all the facts to whistleblow, you just have to be acting in good faith.

It’s something you have to decide for yourself. Too many uncertainties for me, but I’m not the one who overheard the conversation and knows the context…

LakieLady · 23/09/2023 11:07

Even if she's getting an 11th card free with every 10, it would still be wrong to use it herself imo. It should be used for another deserving child.

If you get on well with her, OP, and you're sure that's what she's doing, it might be worth telling her that you think it's unethical for her to benefit personally from school funds.

JFDIYOLO · 23/09/2023 11:39

Do you have all-staff meetings?

Personally I'd add it to the agenda and then brightly announce how pleased I was to know gift cards were being used as a reward - 'I was wondering how many did we give out last quarter and what's the budget? How might that compare to other departments?😉'

Just raise it as a question when their boss / budget stakeholder is in the meeting - and plant a seed. Get them thinking.

That way you're not making accusations, possibly wrong ones that could damage your own reputation.

zingally · 23/09/2023 11:42

Personally, as a fellow school worker, I don't think I'd involve myself in this. You've got no real proof of anything.

The likelihood is that it would come out in the wash eventually. And even if it doesn't, karma will get her.

Blueeyedmale · 23/09/2023 11:45

Stealing from children's education is just as bad as stealing from the NHS, in my opinion there should be no morals like don't grass her up etc,if you steal from children's funds expect consequences

Luxell934 · 23/09/2023 11:52

You don’t have strong evidence, you don’t have any evidence at all. You overheard two people talking and you could have misheard or it could have been taken out of context. You have no proof of any wrong doing.

You could always report to the head and let them deal with it, but I wouldn’t involve myself in something like this unless I was sure.

innovationcabinet · 23/09/2023 11:53

She's stealing but seems to be openly telling people. It won't be long before someone reports her!

saraclara · 23/09/2023 11:54

Blueeyedmale · 23/09/2023 11:45

Stealing from children's education is just as bad as stealing from the NHS, in my opinion there should be no morals like don't grass her up etc,if you steal from children's funds expect consequences

In my final year of teaching, I estimated that I'd spent £600 of my own money on supplies that I needed in order to teach my class. Just in that one academic year.

That's no justification for that teacher using the gift cards, but teaching is very unlike the NHS in that I doubt there's a single teacher that isn't subsidising their school's budget.
I'm pretty sure that my teacher daughter spends even more then I do. Every time we go out she ends up buying something for her classroom or a project. My nurse daughter has other stressors, but she certainly doesn't have to buy bandages or paracetamol.

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