Dr-Fix-It! Notebook Archive:
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Working Within the Rules... Memo: To All Employees: It has come to the attention of the Accounts Payable Dept. that some employees are not calling in to get a P.O. (Purchase Order) for their purchases. Let it be known, from this point on, any purchase made during regular business hours without a P. O. will be considered a personal purchase and wilI be deducted from the employee's pay check. Job related purchases made before or after regular office hours, on holidays or on weekends, must have the employees' number, the employees' signature, the ticket number and/or Job number. Proper reconciliation must be made by the employee by the end of the the following regular business day or the purchase will be considered a personal purchase and wilI be deducted from the employee's pay check. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THIS RULE !! Scott, the General Contractor, finished jotting a note on his clipboard. "Hey John", Scott asked, "What would it take to get the air conditioning going in the new library addition? " John nodded, "It's all done except for the condensate drain. I just need to tie the condensate drain into the sink tail-piece. Aside from the drain, it is ready to go. " Scott waved his clipboard overhead, "That's great ! Could you do that soon? I could go ahead and call for the ceiling tile and the wooden cabinets if I had a conditioned space. " John added thoughtfully, " I could get everything I need down at Home Headquarters Building Center. I could be back in thirty minutes with everything I need. Only thing is; our company office is closed right now... " Scott's clipboard fell loosely to his side,"What the heck does that have to do with anything? " John looked at the toes of his boots," Well, my company requires a purchase order for everything. And, Home Headquarters requires a picture ID and a purchase order number on every sale. It is Saturday. Our office is closed. I can't get a purchase order today. If I gave a fake purchase order number to Home Headquarters, I could get the stuff I need. But, my company would know I did it because Home Headquarters validates invoices with picture ID's. So, my company would take the money out of my check and possibly fire me for falsifying company documents. " Scott shook his head,"Kinda funny you could get fired... " John continued, "I could buy the stuff myself. I have a Home Headquarters Charge Card. I could just go over to the store, pick out what I need and put it on my account. Then all I would have to do is turn in the receipt and in about six weeks, I would get a reimbursement check. That part is simple... ". John took off his hard hat and scratched his head. "Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get myself over to the Home Headquarters store... " Scott's face reddened slightly, "Waddy mean? Just drive over there in your truck! " Memo: Truck policy: A reminder to all employees: The use of a company vehicle is one of many Company benefits. However, the non-work-related use of company vehicles is strictly limited to the transportation "to and from" the employee's residence and the job site. Any additional use of any company vehicle must have authorization from the employee's immediate supervisor. Company vehicles operated for personal use without authorization is prohibited. John cleaned his glasses while he thought for a moment to get the process straight in his own mind. Then he explained, " Scott, this is where it gets a little complicated. If I had a P.O. (which I don't because it is Saturday and the office is closed), my trip to Home Headquarters would be job related. But since I don't have a P.O. and I am going to use a personal charge card to make my purchase, the trip to the store is of a personal nature. See? Use of a company vehicle for personal use is not permitted. " Scott's reddish hue brightened,"You are saying you can't drive over to Home Headquarters in your own truck? " John nodded, wide eyed, "You never know where Officer Brown might be... " "Officer Brown? " John looked over both shoulders, " Yes. Officer Brown watches the company vehicles and submits reports to the Office about trucks in the fleet. Where they were and when. What they were doing. That sort of thing. " Scott shrugged, "A company spy... So what?" John counted on his fingers to illustrate each point as he made it," Well this is what: Say Officer Brown spotted my truck at Home Headquarters. My truck number, time and place would show up on his report. The Office would double-check the report and find there were no purchase orders issued for me on that date. Therefore the trip to the Home Headquarters was not company related and therefore personal. A violation of the rules. Throw in the invoice paid by a personal Home Headquarters Charge Card, and you can stick a fork in me; I'm done!" Scott's complexion transcended red and progressed rapidly through various shades of purple, "Dammit John! You've just spent the last five minutes explaining in detail how you could get your tail in a sling for trying to do your job on a Saturday! I am JUST trying to get the air conditioner turned on in the library addition. Is there ANY WAY to do that without getting fired? " John nodded, "Sure, I could call in my order Monday for Tuesday delivery. I should be able to get all the pipe fittings I need to finish the air conditioner condensate drain by Tuesday. " Scott shook his head, "But I would really like to turn on the air conditioner on in the library addition TODAY if I could... " John thought for a moment, "Well, I guess we could duct tape a garden hose to the unfinished drain line and run it out the window until Tuesday. " Scott dropped his clipboard, "You could get fired performing your job on a Saturday but running a garden hose out a window is OK? " John grinned, " Oh sure, we won't get any inspections today. Its Saturday. They are all golfing!" "But, won't your foreman see the garden hose when he shows up on Monday?" John winked, "Yeah, but by then I will have the parts ordered to do it right! A solved problem is no problem. " Scott picked up his clipboard, "I have a garden hose. " John beamed, "I have some duct tape in my truck! " "Thank God... " 2003.08.23 |
