Question:
I am a desktop Engineer tasked with the duty of Asset Management. The Assets I manage are (laptops and Computers). Now the problem is, last year December I went on leave and came back late Jan. When I came back three were 9 notebooks missing and 2 Desktops missing. When I left the assets were balancing and not even one was missing. The Assets are stored in the IT Workshop and there is a workshop manager who has the key to the cage where these assets are stored.

Then there are other 5 personnel who also have the key to that cage including the IT Manager. I as the Asset Manager don’t have the key to the workshop. When I went on leave I had told my team members to send me e-mails of the changes on the assets , when I came back from leave I sent an email to the Desktop engineers to notify me of all the changes and they did .I then sent the list to the workshop manager to check and he replied telling me that there are only two asset that I need to change the location and I did change the location accordingly. Then the IT Manager then requested the Asset Register a month later then I asked the workshop manager to sit with me and compare what is in the workshop to my asset list and we discovered that there were asset missing. Then the manager called us and asked us to find the assets and we did a physical check around the whole business but we could not find the assets. Then Our manager gave us three option which were (1)Replace the assets worth R65 000(ROUGH ESTIMATE0 (2)Resign from work(3)Go to Disciplinary Hearing(Gross Negligence) we were also told that our decision has to be the same but we did not agree on one thing. Workshop Manager chose to resign because he was told that if he is found guilty that will be a bad record for him forever in his life where ever he goes. I then chose to go for Disciplinary.

But I was called to a meeting where I found the workshop manager, my supervisor and manager already sitting and chatting when I came in there was silence, then I was told that there will be a disciplinary hearing because we did not decide on the same thing. Then I asked why is that then I was told by Manager that he has taken the decision for us cause we could not give him same answers. Then my manager told me that the workshop Manager has taken the disciplinary hearing option .Then I told the manager I am surprised cause the workshop manager had chosen the Resigning option, the Workshop Manager did not respond for himself but the manager did and he said the reason why the Workshop Manager was thinking of resigning was that he did not want a bad name. But then this was contradicting with the statement the IT Manager made when he said he has made the choice for us as we could not come with one answer. But I did not raise this contradiction, then I asked the manager if there will be a hearing and he said yes because he had sent all the events that happened to Risk Committee and they had found out that the matter required a hearing pending dismissal. Which I also found contradicting as he said in that meeting when he lost his temper a bit that if I do not want to co-operate he will hand this to Paul Wessels (Security) for investigations. I then asked him what was the charge and he said NEGLIGENCE and stressed it by saying GROSS NEGLIGENCE.

I had recorded this conversation and have the recordings. I am still waiting for the notice letter for the hearing. He says he will raise the fact that I never delegated over my duties to someone else, but there is no where were it says when I leave I have to delegate hence I sent the mail to the guys to send me all the changes they make when I come back and I will update accordingly. Also he will mention that I only picked up that there we nine notebook after two months, now my question is the Workshop Manager did not pick this up when he came back yet he has a stock control system and sits in the workshop. He only picked this up when I compared my list with what is in the workshop. Despite the decision that was taken by our manager the workshop manager went on to submit his resignation which my supervisor showed me I am not sure why he showed me this. But anyway I am still waiting for the notice of the hearing. PLEASE ADVISE IF I HAVE THE CASE AGAINST MY EMPLOYER. I have recordings of all conversations and even where he says we should resign.

Answer:

You have admitted an important piece of information, being the time period between submitting this query and the date of the incident. However, in saying that, I believe you would have a fairly strong against the employer should they make a decision to fire you subsequent to a procedural enquiry. There is no way in Hell that you can be held accountable for missing stock whilst you are on leave. They would have to prove that the missing stock was caused by your direct negligence and this is going to be extremely difficult if you were not there. Big “ups” for keeping a recording of events surrounding this matter. If they are to issue charges this should be done within a reasonable time period. Their procrastination tells me that they are either ignorant or don’t know how to proceed further. Hey, maybe both!
Let me know how things pan out so I can advise you further. There is not much to do at this stage as nothing has actually happened yet.

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