Work investigation

[odie072]

What is the name of your state? Tennessee

I hope this is in the correct thread if not please move or delete. I'm having an issue at work that I need some advice on. I was informed last Wed. that some money was missing from where I am a senior manager. Turns out to be initially about $4,000. Thursday I started looking at the receipts on the computer and the amount that should have been deposited and I found a problem that goes all the way back to Sept '06, two months before I started. There are 4 people who are being investigated but 6 that have access to the money. Over the last few days they have started getting ugly, they keep threatning lie detector and police involvement but, they are refusing to do research and find out when this started. It got so bad yest, (the owner asked me if my wife, who is another manager had a pill problem) and then the operations manager made some accusations and told me it didn't look good for us. They kept pushing me till I gave my notice. Today I went into the office and told them of there drug use, (the operations manager is handing out Zanex) and I've personally seen the owner and another office worker take them. Plus my wife and I have also been given a total of three Zanex by her.

I've tried to talk to some local attorneys but, am being told there is nothing they can do. We are low income and living in an apartment on the property and now it looks like they are probably going to fire my wife too.

Is there any way to protect myself?? Yes, I know we need to get away from this place but having to find new jobs and move at the same time is going to kill us financially, plus my wife is a nervous wreck.

I forgot to mention that one of the other employees is mentally handicaped and is going to be able to have an attorney present at any questioning. But we aren't.

Thank you for looking at this, there is a lot more to this but I don't want to take up to much space.

odie072What is the name of your state?

[mike_lee]

Geesh why didn't you ask for advice at a point we could help? Forget the whole drug thing if you say that in front of the police or a judge you'll just look like an ass (which is how you looked to me when I read it, Sorry, I don't mean to offend) By quitting you really set yourself up as the fall guy - you should have had the stones to stick it out. Now you don't have access to the PC or I'd tell you to make a copy of the hard drive.

A lie detector threat is a ploy used on uninformed people. It can rarely be used in court and you cannot be forced to take one by your employer. I can defeat them very easily by convincing myself the lie really happened or even easier taking a beta blocker (common blood pressure medicine such as inderal or toporal).

[odie072]

Yes, I know it looks like an ass, but the day before the owner asked me if my wife had a pill problem. The reason it was brought up was because the operations manager hands pills out like candy, and yes we should have turned them down, but I made a mistake. However, there has been no threat of drug test, but trying to put the pill problem on us.

I do have a copy of the program and a current backup of the information. As for having the stones to ride it out, she caught me at a moment of weakness, yes, I spoke before I thought, but I've been fighting the flu for the past month and this on top of it. What it boils down to is we have absolutly no policies in writing. Two weeks ago everything was beautiful. Since the wife and I have taken over this part of the business, we had increased the business by about 15-20% within 4 months. Now everything we have been doing is wrong.

What it boils down to is Tennessee is an at will employer and we are not minorities. I just thought someone may have some useful advice or some experience with this. But something that did happen today, when we picked our checks up, a total of 4.5 hours of overtime was not paid, and we was told a mistake had been made, but so far we haven't been paid for it. So if we don't hear anything by Monday, I'll call the Labor dept again.

Thanks
odie072