Background
Ray had completed nearly a year of his first job in a small branch of the bank, which he had joined straight from school and was very happy to receive a good appraisal saying that he had performed well and showed great potential. Accordingly, he was not very surprised to be told by the Assistant Manager that, the branch manager, Christine, wished to see him at 4 o’clock.
Christine congratulated Ray on his performance and said that although, as a rule, staff were not able to participate in the bank’s bonus scheme until they had completed 12 months service, because Ray had performed very well she wished to encourage him. Accordingly, she had made an exception in Ray’s case and she handed him an envelope, saying that she hoped that Ray would be pleased, adding that because of the special nature of the payment and the bank’s rules on bonuses generally, he must ensure that he did not discuss it with anyone. Ray felt a little embarrassed to have been singled out but pleased to have made a good impression.
Quickly Ray went into the staff room where he opened the envelope and was pleasantly surprised to find £150 in new notes, as well as a letter from Christine saying that the bonus was her personal recognition of Ray’s hard work and good performance. Ray was a bit surprised at the comment which left him unsure whether the “bonus” was from the bank or from Christine herself.
Although Christine had told Ray not to mention the award to anyone, which was the bank’s normal rule regarding bonus payments, he felt unable to keep his apparent good fortune to himself. On the way home sent a text to his friend Dan, whom he had met on the bank’s induction course when he joined the bank, suggesting they meet later for a drink. Dan, who worked in another branch but lived nearby, readily agreed.
When he got home, Ray relayed his good fortune to his mother who said how pleased she was, adding that she hoped he would do something sensible with the money. Later that evening when Ray met Dan he told him that he had had a spot of good fortune and offered to buy him a drink, “not just the usual pint, but anything you like” said Ray extravagantly and Dan asked him to bring the cocktail list.
When Ray returned with the drinks and sat down, Dan asked him what had prompted this unusual generosity and Ray said that he was not supposed to tell anyone, but that he had received a bonus. Dan expressed surprise saying that as they had not been in the bank for a year they did not qualify for the bank’s bonus scheme and anyway, staff had been warned that bonus payments would be very limited, so Ray getting one must surely have been a mistake!
Ray responded by telling Dan that Christine his Manager had said that the bonus was personal and despite Christine’s warning he showed Dan the letter. Dan read the letter and said that he was very surprised and it looked as though Christine had given Ray the money out of her own pocket. He said he thought that was rather unusual and added that he hoped Ray had not been asked to do anything unusual by Christine. Ray asked what Dan was implying adding that he did not actually have much day to day contact with Christine.
Dan said that he thought it was unusual to give people any sort of payment in cash, because it could imply all sorts of things but, even so, he was enjoying his drink bought with the proceeds of Ray’s good fortune. Ray replied that he was sure that he had done nothing that he should not have done and suggested that they talk about something else and the conversation turned to more controversial matters, such as football.
At the end of the evening Ray and Dan went their separate ways not having said any more about Ray’s bonus, but Ray awoke in the early hours and had difficulty going back to sleep because he wondered whether he had done anything wrong in accepting the money or whether anything that he had done at work might have been at all “suspect” but he could not think of anything.
The Dilemma
Ray wondered whether he should raise the matter with anyone either in the branch, and if so who? Or should he perhaps phone the helpline number that he was given on his induction, but he was unsure to whom he would be talking and whether it would get back to Christine that he had called. That seemed possibly to be worse than doing nothing. In the end, after tossing and turning some more Ray fell asleep with the matter unresolved.
Options
In this case, Ray rightly has some suspicions of irregularity by Christine. Does Christine have an ulterior motive for awarding Ray the bonus in this way? It seems clear that the bonus payment was not made according to normal procedures.
Accordingly, Ray has four main options:
- Approach Christine directly to clarify the situation and return the bonus.
- Notwithstanding that he had been told not to discuss it with anyone, Ray should report it to whoever is responsible for HR matters in the branch.
- Call a staff helpline, with whom he could raise the matter.
- Nothing. He was very fortunate to have received a bonus in these difficult times.
Confronting Christine directly raises the stakes and could have potentially serious consequences for both Christine and Ray. It is still not clear what motivated Dale to take the action that he did.
If Ray reports the matter to HR, it could also have serious implications for them both, with Christine at particular risk of being fired. Nonetheless, the firm’s bonus procedures appear not to have been followed and the situation needs to be resolved.
Although the call to a staff helpline might provide some useful advice, were it to be anonymous, there could be the risk that this matter is reported by the staff helpline, which would have a similar result to the scenario of reporting it to HR.
In any case, any investigation is likely to determine that Christine has acted improperly, and so has Ray by accepting the money. This could damage their professional careers.
By doing nothing, Ray is implicating himself in a process that is neither open nor fair, and not overly honest.
The verdict
The best course of action is for Ray to report the situation to the staff helpline and get further advice. He should in any case return the money to Christine, citing his confusion, as a new employee, around the process and the secrecy of the transaction, and leaving the next steps, if any, up to Christine. While this may not improve his standing with Christine, he is acting with integrity in seeking to ensure that the bonus process is open and transparent, and leaving it to Christine to unwind a very sticky situation.
Further reading