Imagine that one of your employees ignores company rules and procedures, takes merchandise from your inventory, gives it away to someone she hears has gone through a difficult experience, and fails to record the transaction or tell anyone about it. Would you consider her actions grounds for termination?

Many employers would, and that's exactly what happened at a Subway sandwich restaurant in Halifax, Nova Scotia a few weeks ago. However, in this instance, it wasn't the employee that wound up with a black eye in the perception of the public; it was the employer that was vilified.

The front line employee knew about a fire at a nearby apartment complex and decided to give the two sandwiches she was entitled to lunch away to several of the victims. The young woman was fired for not following procedures, and when the media jumped on the story, she was immediately recruited by the competing Quizno's down the street (can you say "publicity stunt"?) stating that they wanted to have people on their staff who would ‘do the right thing.'

It's hard to imagine that we'll ever know what really happened.  After all, it's just a couple of sandwiches, and this happened in Nova Scotia.  Who cares, right?

Employer's everywhere need to take note.  I'm of the opinion that this story has been ridiculously spun to make the big mean employer look like the Sheriff of Nottingham and the counter girl look like Robin Hood who was only trying to help the poor.  She may have had been warned several times about breaking procedures.  She may have had a poor performance record. 

Then again, she may have had no intention of sacrificing her own sandwiches, but just used that as an excuse after being caught red-handed.  Do you actually believe that she was an model employee and this was her only offense, and that she was only trying to do the right thing?

Me either.

There's one word that cannot be overemphasized to trainers and managers when instructing your employees about the rules, policies, and procedures for handling cash and merchandise, and the use of employee perks and discounts: clarity.

Any degree of ambiguity whatsoever leaves you wide open to your employee's imagination. And with the story-starved media and your opportunistic competitors always on the prowl, you don't want to end up being the main course on anyone's menu.

Eric Chester, President and Founder of Generation Why, Inc. and The A Game, LLC (The Bring Your A Game to Work initiative), author of Getting Them to Give a Damn—How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line (Dearborn 2005), and award winning speaker is available through www.GenerationWhy.com or by calling 303-239-9999.