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Author Topic: Workplace Ethics:Is doing personal errands on company time,ok?  (Read 5129 times)
DaLittle B
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« on: March 14, 2018, 05:05:56 pm »

(per my suggestion) One of my jobs is playing taxi driver,to the paid interns/support staff.

This mornings plan...
Chauffeur 4 underlings to different meetings across town,I have 2 trucks pick ups (I own a ford escape that I bought for my Mom),so I regularly use one of my bosses personal vehicles.

I have a chauffeur's license (Class E for hire -26,000lbs,26ft or  up to 10 people) They do like that aspect.

So one of my bosses had nothing going on,but had his wife's vehicle,and had an oil change/maintenance appointment scheduled at the dealer.It was scheduled perfectly when all the drops offs are at the meetings,and I had nowhere to be.So I had no problems taking it in for him,if he can call the dealer,and make sure he doesn't have to sign anything,etc,etc.

One of the underlings heard me ask him to call the dealer,or him confirm the dealer was ok with me getting it done,he didn't need to sign anything.She was saying **I** as in me shouldn't have to run one of the bosses personal errands on company time.It's not right,Blah,blah blah...

I explained,I'm fine with it,I'm using their vehicle for company business on company time.(I've done it in the past,one time a boss had flat on the way to work,and was asked to get the tire fixed,so I wouldn't have to drive on the spare donut tire). They've always paid for gas if it was needed,etc It's never cost me money,and when it has I was promptly reimbursed. I've done this driving underlings all over the state,and even down into Arkansas

IS this Right or Wrong? Bad workplace Ethics?

Living in ass backwards land,I was a bit shocked that someone had a problem with this..It was the first time something like this has happened.

*We've been discussing buying a company for this exact purpose...probably close to year now,it's finding one,the insurance,who's paying,where it will be kept,etc.This wouldn't be an issue if we had a company vehicle.
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MyGodWearsAHoodie
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« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2018, 07:54:23 pm »

Depends.....is the boss also the owner? 

If not, his boss might have a problem with him using company labor ($$) for personal use. 

If so, then if it is only happening occasionally  not a biggy.  If it is routine the IRS might take issue, if he is calling the money he pays you a business expense.
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Pappy13
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« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2018, 09:50:04 pm »

You punch a time clock? If yes, then it's wrong. If not then it's fine. There's no such thing as a 9-5 salaried job. You work when you work and you are off when you are off. You'll make up the time someplace else.
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Spider-Dan
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« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2018, 11:19:20 pm »

You'll make up the time someplace else.
No, he won't.  They aren't B's personal errands, they are the personal errands of his boss.

Salaried or not, I'll be goddamned if you're going to ask me to go pick up your dry cleaning and then expect me to stay later for the time it took to do it.
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DaLittle B
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« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2018, 08:45:37 am »

He's one of the owners...

No time clock...I'm an intern wrangler,I mean this was my "work" for the day.

-I walked (gimped Embarrassed) to work,got there 8:15am is...
-Morning meeting,after meeting incident with intern,touch after 9 am we left for 1st meeting in bosses vehicle.
-I made the 1st stop,intern drop,drove to my second made the 2nd drop of underlings.
-Drove to dealer,arrived a few minutes early for my 10:30 am appointment.
-Out of the dealer 20 minutes later,drove to 2nd meeting,sat in the parking lot for 30 minutes,picked up intern, drove to 1st meeting.
-Sat in the parking lot with the intern,till 2nd meeting ended (noonish) Drove back to the office...
-I assigned some work to the interns,gave the keys/paperwork back to my boss...

Walked home for lunch,went for run,play with my dogs,caught up on twitter...A little after 4pm called the office,to find out out the plan for (today Thursday is)

I got paid either way.It was go take the vehicle to get an oil change,or sit in the parking lot.That's the way I looked at it,if after I returned,then he'd said here take my wife's SUV for an oil change...I'd had a problem.This where I couldn't see the "ethical problem" I was trying to not do this,write an entire novel... Embarrassed Tongue
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Sunstroke
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« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2018, 08:46:39 am »

No, he won't.  They aren't B's personal errands, they are the personal errands of his boss.

Salaried or not, I'll be goddamned if you're going to ask me to go pick up your dry cleaning and then expect me to stay later for the time it took to do it.

I read Lil_B's post a couple of times, and I don't see anything about his bosses making him stay late to do the work that didn't get done because he was doing his bosses personal errands.  You wouldn't be making up stuff to fuel a debate, would ya, you filibustering rascal?  Wink


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CF DolFan
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« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2018, 11:31:48 am »

I don't see any issue with it. As long as you are getting paid and not having to do something belittling then so be it. I know some small companies where the boss has them do work around his house and property when they don't have other work scheduled. It's better than being sent home. 
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Dave Gray
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« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2018, 11:52:44 am »

I do weird stuff for my boss all the time.  The way I see it, I'm paid to help the company, in whatever way helps.  If me doing stuff for him frees up his time to better help the company, then I'm fine with it.

I would be annoyed if that stuff happened excessively after hours, but I feel like I'm respected enough and have freedom to take time off when I need it for things.

I guess it all depends.  If I had a boss who was a stickler for my schedule and then wanted me to do stuff outside of that, I would be irritated.
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DaLittle B
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« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2018, 12:39:06 pm »

^^ Cheesy I think you basically said How I act (even if that's not how I thought it about it in those exact terms.) I'm support staff..
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MaineDolFan
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« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2018, 02:17:05 pm »

I do weird stuff for my boss all the time. 

Statements like this could get you in trouble these days.

;-)
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Sunstroke
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« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2018, 02:46:26 pm »

Statements like this could get you in trouble these days.
;-)

For the right immunity deal, I'll turn State's evidence in a second...

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masterfins
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« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2018, 05:57:50 pm »

From what you described B there is nothing you have done that is unethical.  The occasional incidents you describe doing really amount to nothing.  Perhaps if it were a very large corporation your boss' superiors would frown upon it.  Now if you were daily performing various personal jobs for the boss/owner then the IRS would have a problem with your boss/owner because he is taking a tax deduction (your wages) for non business expenses.

For small businesses there are always occasional jobs that employees are asked to do which are not business related.  For example I've given my boss/owner a ride on multiple occasions to pick up his car from the repair shop.
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Pappy13
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« Reply #12 on: March 15, 2018, 09:25:22 pm »

No, he won't.  They aren't B's personal errands, they are the personal errands of his boss.

Salaried or not, I'll be goddamned if you're going to ask me to go pick up your dry cleaning and then expect me to stay later for the time it took to do it.
Did you miss the part where he said he was ok with doing it? No one said anything about staying late because of the errand. When I said that he would make up the time someplace else I meant that there will be a time when he has to work through a lunch, come in early or stay late because that's what the job entails, not because he ran an errand for his boss in the middle of his work day. If you aren't punching a clock, then you aren't walking in the door straight up 9:00 or walking out the door straight up 5:00 either. You work the hours it takes to get the job done, not because the clock on the wall says it's time to start or stop.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 10:51:24 pm by Pappy13 » Logged

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Pappy13
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« Reply #13 on: March 15, 2018, 09:30:24 pm »

No time clock...I'm an intern wrangler,I mean this was my "work" for the day.
If you are OK with it then everyone else should be too. Tell your coworker to worry about her own damn job and leave you to figure out how to do yours.
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Spider-Dan
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« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2018, 11:40:27 pm »

I read Lil_B's post a couple of times, and I don't see anything about his bosses making him stay late to do the work that didn't get done because he was doing his bosses personal errands.  You wouldn't be making up stuff to fuel a debate, would ya, you filibustering rascal?  Wink
I wasn't directly replying to B's post.  I was replying to Pappy13's post (the one I quoted), who said that it is fine for a salaried person - but not an hourly person (?!) - to run errands for the boss on company time because "You'll make up the time someplace else."

"Making up the time someplace else" is not applicable to a discussion about running errands for the boss on company time, regardless of whether you are hourly or salaried.  It IS applicable to a discussion about running your own errands on company time (because you can make up the time someplace else).  But B wasn't asking about his own errands.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 11:45:20 pm by Spider-Dan » Logged

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