"I Found My Coworker's Resume in the Office Printer: What Should I Do?" - 07/03/19 Edition
Stephen Says Column
Dear Stephen:
I am a A&D rep for the second or third largest office furniture manufacturer in the U.S., Michigan based. I work out of the NYC division sales office/showroom, which is a very large space. Although we are one of the top revenue manufacturers worldwide, here in the NYC market our sales pale in comparison to my company’s market share in the rest of the U.S. I believe our NYC division ranks somewhere between in 7th and 11th. Of course my boss’s excuse for this anemic sales region is what any manufacturer says: She blames it on having bad performing dealers. Corporate always buys it.
Here is my question and why I am writing. Last week, one night while I was working late I went to print something in the office (we have a few large- capacity printers sprinkled throughout the office) and instead of finding what I was printing, I found a co-worker’s cover letter. A letter that would go with her resume. I wasn’t snooping and reading my colleagues correspondence - it’s just tough to not look when the name of a competitor is at the top of a letter, along with the rival manager’s name. This was after hours, and the person was not even in the office. They obviously forgot to check the printer, but it was obvious is that they must be interviewing for a new job.
I decided to take the letter out of the printer and keep it, but now what? I do not know this person very well, and my first thought was to return it to them the next time I see them. But then I was sort of happy they may be leaving. Of course, I bet I can earn some brownie points if I shared it with my boss. She is very political, demands loyalty and would love this type of stuff. For me it seems better not to get involved at all. The co-worker is not a friend, but what if the whole thing blew up, and I’m caught in the middle? Others in my office would turn her in at the speed of a New York minute but I can’t decide what to do. What would you do?
Best,
An Office Printer Predicament
Dear Printer Predicament:
I cannot believe this kind of stuff keeps happening today. Your question to me represents just a small fraction of the letters I get from readers on this same subject — people looking for jobs while at work and being caught or catching their co-workers. It could be anything, employees leave their resume up on their computer screens or have printer mishaps like you are describing. It is easy to accidentally print too many copies of an incriminating document. It goes without saying, this is your company’s computer and printer being used for personal business, which is normally a violation of most company’s code of ethics. Typing a resume or cover letter while at work, no matter what time of the day, is always a bad idea. Doing so on the work computer is just, well, stupid. And even if you bring your own laptop in, or you’re doing it after hours, that’s not much better. Nothing is wrong with looking for a new job, just do it on your own time and your own dime. It’s best to do it at home, using your own equipment and your personal email address (do I have to even mention that?). Salespeople are used to so much freedom they don’t think twice about doing their resume at work. Many do not even have their own laptop and rely on their company-owned computer or phone 24/7. Smart people have their own. (And yes, even their own phone!). Mistakes can easily happen.
As far as what I would do, or what people should do, the answer is always the same — honesty is the best policy. Meaning I would have given that person their cover letter back saying you found it in the printer and not have said a word to anyone, including your boss. They would owe you, and you would have avoided doing something that is none of your business. Yes, there are schemers who would go to the boss. Most bosses will thank you to your face, but think you are a rat for telling them anyway. On the other hand, what happens today is that in most offices and showrooms there are cameras everywhere. I tell people to be aware if they have cameras in their workplace and if you do, just leave what’s not yours alone. Cameras in the workplace is a subject for another column and another time, just be aware of them.
So, to answer your question, the way you handled it by saving the document from the printer is the decent way to do it. And there’s nothing wrong with giving it back to your coworker in the future, relieving them of a potentially awkward position. Guess what? Pretty soon your coworker won’t have to worry about looking for a new job at work. People this sloppy are probably not good at selling furniture and often get fired. Maybe that explains your company’s market shares are in the marketplace, especially if they have hired a lot of similar people. Companies often do. Like I already said, sooner or later, people like this are terminated and some other poor company will hire them next. They may end up at one of those dealers you were blaming!
Stephen
You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
Questions selected to be answered will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi, is a bestselling author, television and radio show host, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, one of the executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenviscusi, like Stephen on Facebook and follow him on LinkedIn.
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