Al Adil Trading: Don't hurt others' self-esteem

Once, on a holiday, one of our stores was extremely busy and there was a crowd in front of the billing counter. At the end of the day, when the cashier girl was tallying the total amount against transactions, she found some money missing from the cash box. She was mystified as no one had entered her cabin and she also had not left her place. She was a sincere, honest worker.

Panic gripped her because the missing amount was not paltry but totalled approximately Dh1,000. She reported the incident to the manager, not knowing how the theft occurred, and left nervously.

The next day she came with her mother and spoke to the manager. She had remembered that a stranger had an argument with her just at the closing hour and this had distracted her attention for some minutes. The manager disbelieved her and made a serious mistake. He alleged that she herself might have stolen the money and was cooking up a story to cover the crime. The girl's mother requested him not to scapegoat her daughter but he remained adamant. This infuriated the girl as it was a slap to her self-esteem. She dragged our company to court. Since I was the owner, the court summoned me. I was unaware of the incidence until then. For the first time in my life I stood before the judge. The court directed both parties to settle the matter amicably.

I took the matter in my hand and conducted a thorough inquiry. I called all the concerned persons to verify facts. The girl fearlessly pleaded her stand, but our HR Manager did not seem firm on his allegation. He began justifying his words in context of possibility. I immediately sensed his falsity.

Meanwhile I found out that similar incidents had occurred in other parts of the city. The theft had been committed by distracting the person in charge. The girl was telling the truth. I apologised to her instantly and at the same time reduced the authority of the HR Manager. The girl tearfully thanked me and began gifting me a cake and a bouquet every Christmas as a token of her gratitude.