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My corporation just sent out an email that they will be deducting pay from everyone's paycheck for each of us to purchase a copy of our CEO's book, since his sales have been down lately. It's only $11, but it's really bothering me since it's $11 * 250 employees, or $2750 being stolen from the staff, and none of us consented to this. How would you recommend pushing back against this?

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    What strikes me about this is that $2750, while the situation is unethical and wrong... must be basically a drop in the ocean compared to the finances of a company with 250 employees. I did a very rough calculation assuming the employees are earning on average $30,000 a year. Assuming they will only buy one book in a year, thats $2750 / $7.5m which is 0.03 percent. Someone is being misled here. – seventyeightist Apr 23 '20 at 19:13
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    Are you a member of a labour union? – gerrit Apr 24 '20 at 08:39
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    btw, how is the company planning to send these books to each of their employees? with the addresses that they have in their database? If yes, then there are two non-consensual things happening. one buying and another dispatching to your address. – Sara Apr 24 '20 at 10:56
  • @Sara: I would guess they hand it out in the office? Seems the easiest to me – guest Apr 24 '20 at 15:53
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    I've posted a question on [law.se] about the legal aspects involved here: "Can an employer apply one-off pay cuts via forced contributions?" While there is good input there this is likely still a legal gray area subject to state law as well. Do note that as a rule this site does not provide legal advice. – Lilienthal Apr 25 '20 at 16:04
  • In what country/state is this in? – Stephan Branczyk Apr 28 '20 at 22:24
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    Can you tell them, that you already got two of them? – Helena Apr 29 '20 at 06:42
  • @seventyeightist: 250 sold copies from a local bookshop might get the book into a front shelf as some kind of "local bestseller". I can't imagine this is about the money. Though it's kind of funny, to care about 11$ per person then instead of giving it for free, seemingly without expecting a backlash... – Jessica Apr 29 '20 at 06:59
  • @Jessica I inferred (but I realize it wasn't stated) that they are e-book purchases and as such, not tied to a specific store. Maybe OP can confirm or deny. (I had it in my head when reading the Q that it was a self-published book, but now that I read it again I don't see any evidence for this. so your guess is as good as mine!) – seventyeightist Apr 29 '20 at 19:56
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    I would be more concerned how low the sales of the book are if 250 copies make a difference. – TomTom Apr 30 '20 at 11:12
  • That would be expressly prohibited by law without your written authorization in Ontario Canada- check your state regulations, I’m sure this kind of thing comes up everywhere from time to time. – Spehro Pefhany May 03 '20 at 05:45

7 Answers7

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There are multiple ways you can handle this.

  1. Direct confrontation. Reply to that email, copying HR, saying that you do not consent to this.
  2. Indirect confrontation. If you have a manager/superior you trust, ask them to intercede. This is something that a good leader would fight on your behalf.
  3. Anonymous confrontation. Anonymously email HR saying that this is not ok and they need to not do this or it will be reported to legal authorities as it is theft.
  4. Skip trying to handle it internally and just report it to legal authorities
  5. Don't do anything and be taken advantage of. Not one I would normally pick, but sometimes you're not in a position to risk losing employment or causing problems at work
Kevin
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I would print the email (being sure that my name doesn't appear) and mail the printout to the state's Attorney General office anonymously with a printed note that this is illegal. On the letter I would note CC of the appropriate labor board and the company's HR department. I would mail the CC copies anonymously too. Then I would drop the matter. (I assume that you don't have a Union...)

If the manure does hit the rotary oscillator, you want to be as far away as possible.

  • HR is not your friend.

  • Your coworkers may pat you on the back for creating a stink about the matter and getting their $11 back, but upper level management doesn't like this sort of attention. If it was discovered that you started the brouhaha then you would have cut your throat.

MaxW
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    In this case, HR might actually be your friend, or at least an ally. One of their main responsibilities is to keep the company out of legal trouble, which is potentially where this is headed – Kevin Apr 24 '20 at 04:51
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    And, for some extra people power, I've seen people put similar e-mails on Imgur as well. There's a mob of people willing to help with companies doing things on this level of stupid/criminal. – Mast Apr 24 '20 at 06:25
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    @Kevin - Yes, HR could help you win the battle, but you'd lose the war. – MaxW Apr 24 '20 at 08:44
  • "with a printed note that this is illegal." I'm sure that they are able to figure that out by themselves :) – FooTheBar Apr 24 '20 at 09:37
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    "this is illegal" Do you have a source on this? If applied as a pay cut to all employees this would probably not qualify as an illegal deduction. – Lilienthal Apr 24 '20 at 12:58
  • Why do you think it's illegal? OP did not name a state. The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows for deductions for the benefit of the employer (and if the employer wants to call this book part of the uniform, there it is) as long as every hour on every paycheck is paid at least minimum wage after deductions. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/16-flsa-wage-deductions – user662852 Apr 24 '20 at 18:18
  • @Lilienthal - I don't know if it is illegal. I'm not a lawyer, and I wouldn't spend $1000(?) on a lawyer to find out while hoping to recover $11. Also the OP's time has to be worth something. I proposed something that the OP could spend less than an hour on and then let the problem go. Obviously the letters are part bluff. The whole reason for the CC to the HR department anonymously was to scare them that some indeterminate government action was about to land in their lap. – MaxW Apr 24 '20 at 19:46
  • @user662852 - The OP didn't say anything about if the book was work related or not. Perhaps if the book was about workplace safety then it might be a legal deduction. However the book could be about a hobby like flower gardening or button collecting. My strategy was to do something without either incurring any risk at work and without incurring any expense of getting a lawyer involved. It's already going to cost $1.65 to mail 3 first class letters to recover $11. Again it is part bluff that some indeterminate government action was about to land in the companies lap. – MaxW Apr 24 '20 at 20:00
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    @MaxW your answer states to report to a law enforcement agency "...with a printed note that this is illegal" and in comments you separately state " I don't know if it is illegal", questioning the quality of the answer. – user662852 Apr 24 '20 at 20:27
  • @user662852 - SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE !!!! I am not a labor relations lawyer. Writing "This stinks" isn't nearly as attention getting as "This is illegal." Even if you and I were labor relations lawyers, discussing this in a forum doesn't matter. It only matters in court. Would the company really want to go to court and defend their actions? The point is by threatening the company with the government the OP would have asked the biggest bully on the block for help. My opinion of lawyering is the same as that for battleships fighting. The side with the biggest guns is likely to win. – MaxW Apr 24 '20 at 20:37
  • It almost certainly is illegal. Unauthorized deductions from wages are illegal in pretty much every civilized jurisdiction, even the incredibly employer-friendly US. Now saying "do you want to buy the CEO's book, and by the way we will fire you if you don't" is a bit more borderline, but that's not what they are doing. – DJClayworth Apr 29 '20 at 00:03
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I would reply with: "No thank you".

Simple, polite, and if they do garnish your wages then you have a clear case of theft/fraud.

If it is a dumb joke from pay roll, then you called their bluff.

If you get serious back lash, you can say you were going planning to buy it yourself already (a lie, to give you time to find a job with a less toxic ceo)

DarcyThomas
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Considering the amount of money its costing I would personally go with a soft protest and have some fun with it to raise employee spirits and create some camaraderie about it. One idea already suggested is to read the book in work time. Other things could be:

  • Get as many employees as possible to to give it a 1 star review on Amazon (Anonymously). You could even explain in your review what the author/his company has done
  • Use it around the office for menial/trivial things e.g. using it as a notepad to take work notes, tearing out pages to wipe a spill etc
  • Send out a bulk email asking all employees if they want to buy a copy of your book (or a variation of that e.g. buy something of yours from etsy/buy cookies from your child etc), since the company has set a precedent for it now.
rdab
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There is a response that everybody forgets, which is "talk to your colleagues". If enough of you refuse to buy the book and threaten court action then seriously, what is the company going to do? Fire everyone?

Forcing employees to by a book is essentially withholding wages, which is illegal in pretty much every jurisdiction.

DJClayworth
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Since it is so important to the company that you buy this book, you are likely expected to read it at work time. I think the CEO would be really pleased that all 250 employees read his book carefully.

gnasher729
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    I think reading the book on company time would actually be a really funny form of protest but would probably be less effective since by then the company has already taken their money. – BSMP Apr 24 '20 at 02:00
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    @BSMP I don't think this ever was about the money, but about the intentions. Not sure I agree with it, but this creative form of protest certainly seems rather fitting considering the magnitude of the crime. – mafu Apr 24 '20 at 02:36
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    well, if you get paid to read the book during work hours (hopefully more than $11/hr) and you take several hours to read the book, you could call it even ;) – blurfus Apr 24 '20 at 06:22
  • If the company requires you to read this book, they can pay for it. – Daan Apr 24 '20 at 07:19
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    @blurfus - You are assuming that reading the book at work is a more pleasing experience than actually working. That shouldn't be taken for granted for a book that can't be sold without coercion. – Pere Apr 24 '20 at 08:45
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    @Pere fair comment; you don't even have to actually read the book but pretend to read the book (and still take several hours to do so) – blurfus Apr 24 '20 at 16:04
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How would you recommend pushing back against this?

Not at all.

Yes, it's wrong, it's creepy, it's unfair, it's unethical and quite possibly illegal (depending on your legislation, of course).

However, it's only $11 and any potential course of action will incur non-trivial risk & effort and is unlikely to be successful. Options include reporting to the authorities/unions, engaging a lawyer, complaining to HR, trying to stage a company wide protest, talking to the press etc. I think it's unlikely that any of these will work and they could very easily backfire.

The fact of the matter is that you work for a CEO that is either an idiot or a crook. I don't think you can change them, so your best long-term bet is to start looking for a place that's better run.

Typically I don't condone unethical behavior but it's also prudent to be mindful how you pick your battles and make sure you fight the good fight when it really matters. This seems just to trivial to spent a lot of energy on.

Hilmar
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    CEO that is either an idiot or a crook Can't it be both? This is definitely both stupid and illegal. – Seth R Apr 23 '20 at 18:26
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    The problem with this is "what else". If they got away clean with this, what else would they do then? And I completely agree with the 'run' part. This company is a bad place to be, from all indications... – Fábio Dias Apr 24 '20 at 00:20
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    This is really the best answer - it's a waste of your time at best, and at worst it starts you down a path that results in you being forced out of the company. If the company's behaviour really bothers you, isn't the best thing to just quit and spend your time with a company that you like? – MineR Apr 24 '20 at 02:07
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    +1. Unless you’re independently wealthy, risking your job over $11 is well into mental disorder territory. – mxyzplk Apr 24 '20 at 02:55
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    @MineR: But do you really WANT to be working for a company that would try to do something like this? If they will still $11 today, what will they try to steal from you next week or next month? – jamesqf Apr 24 '20 at 04:28
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    @MineR what if the boss writes another 10 books that don't sell? And he increases the price with every book he writes? – J_rite Apr 24 '20 at 07:42
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    @Jungkook Then find another job, and then quit. The question was what do I do about a trivial albeit illegal slight - not what do I do about a long series of increasingly untenable transgressions. – MineR Apr 24 '20 at 07:55
  • @jamesqf Maybe it can still be a great company if upper management goes to jail and is replaced by honest people. – gerrit Apr 24 '20 at 08:42
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    It's not the $11 which is the real problem. The problem is them thinking that this is an option. There is power being abused here. OP is just 'lucky' it's only $11. – Martijn Apr 24 '20 at 08:46
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    I think this answer is really okay and doesn't deserve the down-votes. It is very easy for us justice warriors online to recommend someone to become a whistleblower and risk their employment and possibly lively-hood for a measly 11$... And yes, I would be outraged. But this answer is totally right to suggest thinking about the potential fallout and if this is a battle you really, absolutely, must fight. – fgysin Apr 28 '20 at 14:48
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    @fgysinreinstateMonica Seconded. This is a very reasonable answer. Going ape-shit angry over principles or 11$s will lead your life in a wrong direction. The real takeaway is that for the price of 11$ you just got to know a) How bad the company culture, processes and people are and b) how ridiculous and small the CEO is. I'd say it is important knowledge almost for free. Quit, don't look back. – Stian Apr 29 '20 at 09:06
  • I don't agree with this answer but upvoted it (why the downvotes?) as a legit point of view in which $11 to keep the peace, if that's what turns out to be needed, isn't too much of a price. But I would suggest being on the lookout for other similar things in the future, and not necessarily respond the same way if it happens again. – seventyeightist Apr 29 '20 at 20:05