Stolen Bottle of Champagne

[NameChangeAndLifeChange]

A bottle of champagne, worth about £70, has been stolen from the office.

Our manager said that if it's not replaced then the four staff members will need to pay for it between us.

I've got an idea who may have taken it but I can't be 100% sure.

I'm simply not prepared to pay for it. Why should I? Everyone else thinks we should!

Apparently I may get a written warning for not contributing (whilst that thief walks free)!!!

I want the update please OP… guessing this will be tomorrow now!

This is totally illegal. Your manager cannot make you pay for something you didn’t take! It’s disgusting they are putting you in this position, I’d be very vocal to the person you think it is about how unfairly you are being treated, see if you can get them to own up. I doubt it as they probably know they’ll get the sack!

Your boss is an idiot. Why would anyone pay for something that was given as a gift?

I also think it was the boss that drank it, someone else asked him where it had gone and he claimed stolen to avoid the accusation.

If I could afford to/wanted to leave my job I wouldn't pay. Otherwise I'd probably shell out to keep the peace. But go you.

Sorry haven't RTFT, I'd tell the boss to f off!

Tell your boss you won’t be contributing to a replacement as you won’t be drinking any of the champagne. If the others want to pay and drink their share of the bottle let them get on with it.

Would not pay

That is ridiculous, he is being a child. Club together and get him one of those mini one person portions of champagne! Selfish of whoever took it but he is also being a baby having a sulk because he didn’t get a glass.

Good for you. I like your style

It was a gift to your team so why should you have to pay to replace it. Any boss worth their salts might buy a replacement and then share it with their staff, rather than making a big song and dance about it.

If you all put in the money who will get it and where will it go? Boss’s pocket or a new bottle of champagne the same value?

HNRTT but perhaps explain that to compel three (or four if someone outside the heist conspiracy four stole the champagne) to pay for something they definitely didn't steal seems unsatisfactory. In schools, teachers might try the collective 'if the person who did this doesn't come forward then the whole class will suffer but it's not a good look in the workplace.

Definitely enjoy the dramatics of it.
By insisting you pay he is effect accusing you of theft.
You walking out will be constructive dismissal I would imagine.
Think about an email and blowing this up making it a HUGE drama and saying you want the police involved as you have been accused of company property theft.
Fxxk with him.
He's a bullying twat.
Nothing more entertaining than bringing their bullshit right back to THEIR desk.

I did something similar with a known bullying colleague who thought he could bully and threaten me at my desk about a mistake that wasn't mine.

I blew it up so much that senior management was involved, I got 2 weeks fully paid holiday to "recover" from his behaviour and I made it very clear if he so much as looked at me sideways again it would be a police matter.

Billy big bollix was a very quiet toad afterwards I can tell you.

I too was in the fortunate position of not needing my job any longer after working there 10 years.
Within 3 months my boss took a new job and I resigned the same day.
They lost both key members of staff the same day and as I had 6 weeks holidays I only worked two days noticed. I cited a loss of confidence in my safety in the company as one of my reasons for leaving, fxxking him over again!

That is nearly 25 years ago and the memory is still sweet.

You walking out will be constructive dismissal I would imagine.
If you want to leave I would get it in writing then walk out citing harassment and accusations of theft. Then you’ll be leaving for a new job with a nice chunk of cash.

Hahaha. They can't do that. They cannot make you 'contribute'.
What they need to do - if they are that bothered - is report it to the police as theft. If it belongs to the owner. then 'Theft from employer' (a much more serious offence) Or they can call everyone together, explain this and say that if the amount of money is placed on the desk or wherever, then it will be finished with.
Who wants a thief working for them though?

You sound like you relish the idea of leaving over this incident , @NameChangeAndLifeChange and your username indicates you're looking for a catalyst to change your life.

But I really think you are overreacting about this and are looking for a reason to leave, and this has handed you what you think is the perfect reason. Just be warned that the euphoria of leaving over "Champagnegate" may wear off quicker than the buzz the champagne might have given you all.

Meanwhile, I am so glad I don't work for a place where a boss would obsess about a bottle of champagne going missing, or use it as some sort of yardstick to measure people's morality. Or even that any of us would care about it as a client gift. It just all feels so petty.

The worst thing is - it is a GIFT from a client. He can't ask for money for it, because it never existed until it was gifted , so it's not a business overhead, earned money, or anything else.

Finally, who else has access to your premises - could it be cleaning staff, other client, repair person, friends of family? Unless the place is watertight and only accessible to literally the people you named in the OP (the five members of staff), then he doesn't have a leg to stand on.

Don't pay it, but FGS don't resign over this, resign with heart and clear mind when you actually want to.

So the boss clearly doesn’t think it belonged to all of you, only him.

If the OP pays a penny she is accepting the possibility of culpability.

The bully boss is not a judge and jury.
She is being accused of theft from her employer.
Serious shit.
Bully boy hasn't thought this through at all.
Why shouldn't the OP have some sport at his expense.
Too often bullys think they are above consequences, they are not.
Also, there are 3 other staff members to verify her version.

I walked out of the office and went home directly and asked my colleague to let my boss know when he arrived at work as my incident happened at 7.30am.
She told them exactly what happened and gave a signed statement which she also very kindly copied me on.
It was shocking on paper.

It is not always possible to stand up to bullys, but when you do, it is extremely satisfying.

@JacquesHarlow

Thanks for your comments but you don't need to analyse me.

I am a confident woman with strong principles.

Yes I do relish the idea of leaving as I won't put up with any "crap" from him. I don't need this job.

I am not overreacting but waiting until he says something else so that I can simply pick my bag up and walk out when he's there.

There's no euphoria involved as it's not something I class as particularly dramatic or that I'm getting hugely excited over.

I won't regret it. I've done similar before and it's empowering.

I'm not looking for any catalyst to change my life. If I want to then I will. A quarter of a bottle of champagne is certainly not going to make me run off into the sunset!

Yes I did something similar with a boss I didn’t respect and really enjoyed it. Totally get where you’re coming from.
Good luck whatever you decide 😀

I’d be looking for a new job so fast and also looking into legal action

Thank you!

This!

I hope he gives you your written warning.
It will be proof of an accusation of theft.
What a twat.

I don’t know why some people are saying you’ll get a nice payout from an unfair/constructive dismissal case. They are lengthy to prove, need to get great legal advice ( ACAS is only the start) and the payouts are not usually that great and depends on what you have earnt, scale of the “injustice’ etc. So don’t let that be a factor in deciding what to do