[College of ACES] [University of Illinois] [Illinois CES]

Re: Re: Accidents: should employees pay?

tgray@aol.com
Sat, 19 Oct 1996 23:25:42 -0500

I think Mike's question was about damage caused by employees
to property, not to themselves. In this state (and country)
the responsibility for the welfare of employees falls on the
employer, just as it does in yours.

In my own experience, I have damaged stuff on the job that
presumably my employer had to pay for, and I wasn't asked to
pay. It hasn't been a serious problem for me as an employer.
I have heard of employees being asked to pay for damage
they caused on the job; I don't know if they did, or whether
their continued employment hinged on it. I think it's a
judgment call on the employer's part.

In response to Mike, if employees are causing a lot of damage,
it's time to either fire people or change the way you do
business, but it bears closer examination right away.