Tony has been in a restaurant with Shina, his mentor and Kale, his childhood friend. Tony had been having discussion on phone with the consultant whom he engaged when he was starting his business. Shina arrived towards the end of that phone discussion.
Shina had reminded Tony he told him to implement profit-sharing which Tony did not. As a result of which the employees led by the operations manager had decided to take some of the company’s products worth about N50,000 without authorisation to sell every week for about three months. Tony discovered this when investigating a major robbery – the theft of N3.2 million worth of company products.
The employees involved in the minor ‘robberies insisted they knew nothing about the major robbery. They said the products they sell every week and share the proceeds were ‘factory rejects’ and therefore was not robbery. Without actually saying so, Tony had left the checking of the factory rejects to the operations manager and he told Shina and Kale so.
Shina nods. “That explains it. The operations manager saw that the factory rejects could make them quick money and he capitulated on it.”
“Yes,” says Tony. “Actually, the factory rejects were very small in the first few weeks of the business. Definitely less than N10,000 and I remember now that one of the employees, I can’t even remember which one, asked if they could take them and I must have agreed.”
Kale also nods. “So, colluding with the production manager and collation supervisor and the HR manager, they decided to increase the quantities of ‘factory rejects.”
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“Yes,” Tony says again. “My former operations manager persuaded the production manager who is in charge of the factory to ensure that there were enough factory rejects, large enough to the tune of about N50,000 every week.”
Shina puts in, “And when you introduced profit-sharing after the major theft your production manager reduced the quantities of factory rejects so they could meet and surpass targets and get their share of the profit legitimately.”
Tony shakes his head, “I learnt from the production manager not long ago that that operations manager became hostile to him. But he refused to budge. So that wicked operations manager would then ask the collation supervisor to delay putting of labels in the packs so that it would be easier for him to take out the products and sell unofficially.”
“So, apparently, that operations manager is behind the major theft of N3.2 million worth of goods,” Kale says nodding.
“But his wife insisted that her husband knows nothing about that major theft. In fact, she was the one who let the cat out of the bag about the small robberies. She told me her husband had a list of the sharing formula for the weekly robberies of about N50,000 worth of my company products.”
“And you believe her?” asks Kale.
“Well, it has turned out that what she said about the sharing of goods sold unofficially every week is true. The production manager, collations supervisor and the HR manager did not deny it, they corroborated her story but insisted it was not robbery but that the goods were mere factory rejects.”
“Let that operations manager be charged to court and if it is proven that he is behind the stealing of the N3.2 million worth of goods, then he will get the punishment for felony, ” Shina advises. “And anybody, including any of the other staff who is found to be involved in that major crime would also be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
Tony and Kale nod in agreement. “What should I do concerning these my other staff who were committing small robberies under the guise of profit-sharing?”
“How many are they?”
“Apart from the operations manager, they are six,” Tony replies. “But the three that I find most shocking are the production manager, the collations supervisor and the HR manager. The others are junior staff- the two collation assistants and the day security boy.” Tony adds, his eyes flash in anger and perplexity.
Kale chuckles at Tony’s expression. Tony glares at him. “You were simply penny-wise and pound foolish Tony,” Shina says. “But you made the mistake most of us made when we started our businesses. There is this selfishness in every human being that must be dealt with or it will deal with you. As employers, we want to exploit everything and everyone to the fullest not realising that that the same selfishness in them would make them explore ways to exploit us as well. You felt as the boss you could grab as much as possible and your employees also decided to grab as much as possible. I’m not saying they were right, though.”
“So what should I have done?” asks Tony, deeply perplexed.
“Haven’t you been listening?” hollers Kale. “Profit sharing, reward outstanding performance, your company products were selling like hot cakes and you wanted to eat all the profit.”
If Shina had not been there, Tony would have jerked Kale by his shirt collars and shake him hard. He simply scowls at him.
Kale ignores Tony’s expression and continues, “Oga Shina also said checks and balances, not only for the employees but for you the Chief Executive Officer as well.”
“And even for suppliers and in some cases, customers, in fact virtually all stakeholders. For instance, when you institute your board of directors, if you make me the chairman, that does not give me the right to flout company policies.” Shina says.
Tony’s phone rings. It is the inspector. He tells Tony something and Tony practically screams “Whaaat!” The other people in the restaurant who have not been paying any attention to them all turn in their direction.
“Calm down Tony,” says Shina quietly. “What is it?”
Tony controls himself. “Would you believe that the operations manager’s wife whom I gave the go-ahead to bail her husband dropped a statement that I had been making advances at her and that is the reason I decided to rope in her husband in the robbery case and the inspector says she has a video recording of the time she and I were alone in my office yesterday, when she let the cat out of the bag.”
Without thinking, Kale also yells, “Whaaat!” Only Shina is unruffled. As a successful businessman/industrialist with about 20 years of experience, he has witnessed too many intrigues to be shocked by anything.”
“You are in deep soup Tony,” says Kale seriously. He is not joking at all as he says, “I hope you didn’t mistakenly caress the man’s wife while discussing?”
Tony groans and holds his head, feeling the return of the headachy feeling he had the day before.
OLUYINKA ALAWODE
