We all like heroes. Most heroes don’t think they are. Some act without thinking their actions will be heroic. Others act without thinking their actions aren’t.
There have been a number of reports lately of employees being fired for trying to stop thieves. Doesn’t seem right to fire someone for trying to protect the company’s assets. But which assets does a company (and their employees by extension) have a duty to protect?
The latest incident occurred at a Best Buy store. Two Best Buy employees who confronted a knife-wielding shoplifter were fired Sunday for their role in the incident.
A few weeks ago a Randalls employee was fired for chasing a theft suspect to recover a customer’s stolen purse.
I imagine each of these employee’s thought at the moment they were doing the right thing as part of their job — protect the company’s assets, or their customers. However, all were fired for their actions. Why?
The easy answer is they didn’t follow company policy. “Well, that’s a stupid policy, and a stupid reason to fire someone who was trying to do the right thing,” one might say. Is is really a stupid thing? Were they really trying to do the right thing?
I do think these people each believed in the moment the right thing was to act to protect the company. I do think each of these people did what they thought was the best thing they could do. I am not impugning their reputation or character.
However, I do disagree with their actions for the simple reason that these employees put at risk greater assets than hard drives or purses — themselves.
Which asset is more easily replaced from a company perspective: a hard drive, or a life? Easy answer: the hard drive. The more valuable item is the employee’s life.
How many employees truly understand this? It’s not just about following policy. It’s about protecting employees.
If you’re in a business where this type of theft and harm are possible, when was the last time you had this discussion with your employees? Let them know the policy is not just about process, but about people; it’s not about heroics, but about humans.
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