Is it ethical to pay back drawer shortages?

Question

At a fast food restaraunt that I worked at, they made us sign an agreement at orientation that says if we are short more than 5$, we will get terminated or over 8$ we will get terminated. However, they don't follow this and expect me to pay back 22$ for being short. Is it ethical to do this?

Answer 1

Whether it is ethical or legal or not is based on the laws of where the restaurant is located.

I do know that unless you are only working out of a cash drawer assigned only to you, the management cannot hold you responsible for any cash shortages.

This means that no one else on the staff has had access to that particular cash drawer during the shift in question. (This means any cash handled out of that drawer is only handled by you...not even management can take bills and change in and out of the drawer, you request change, they bring it, you place it in the drawer and give them the correct bills to buy the change.)

This would also mean that you would have to have counted the drawer at the beginning of your shift and put a slip in the drawer indicating how much was in the drawer.

I do not believe that you can legally be held responsible for cash discrepancies unless you are filmed on a video stealing from the cash drawer.

I do not think that they can legally enforce the agreement that you signed during orientation either, you do know that "professional thieves" shortchange cashiers constantly.

This is most likely why they don't follow the agreement that was signed, it is most likely illegal. If any of the employees are under the age of eighteen, and are being made to sign anything without a parent or guardian present; that is illegal.

I would be contacting a lawyer to find out what the laws are in your area which govern this situation.

Unless you are guilty of stealing the money, and I certainly hope not; you should not be required to pay back any shortages unless your drawer is habitually short.

If you are under the age of eighteen, you need to get your parents or guardians involved in this, for your own protection. If you are considered an adult, call a lawyer or legal aid office in your area as soon as possible.

Best of luck to you, have a good night.

Answer 2

I never agreed with that policy, however as the cashier you are responsible for your drawer, you need to count it before it goes out, work it and give back the proper change which is shown on the register, then you balance the drawer at the end of your shift, who else would be responsible for the shortage? As you can see it comes back to you. It pays to be careful when handling money.

Answer 3

Be wary of any job that costs you money. Tell the boss "Yeah right." He's trying to cover his own backside for being short. If you are a decent employee, he won't ask again and you won't get fired. If you get fired, big freakin' deal, they were trying to take money from you and clearly weren't smart or ethical. If you got fired over this, it's a blessing in disguise.

Answer 4

They can terminate you, but they can't make you pay the money back unless you signed an agreement that you would. Even in that case, they can only take an amount that will not drop your pay below minimum wage. To force you to repay or pay you below minimum are both illegal.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if this is considered an ethical question. It just may be a question of paying the money and staying or not paying the money and being let go.