Ethical or Not?

[rennigade]

This is a way I make some extra scratch while saving our company money. Is it ethical or not??

After a certain amount of time our laptops/desktop/monitors are no longer under warranty. When we replace them we set them to the side, wipe the drives...then pay an e-waste company to take them away. Sometimes they have free e-waste pickups during the summers.

Anyway...a lot of times after wiping the drive ill clean up the machine and sell them on craigslist.

Do you think this is ethical or not? I should also mention that we as IT can take equipment for ourselves whenever we want...manager does not care. We dont like to give it out to the end users because we do not want to have them try to bring it back to us to fix if something happens.

[StormRichards]

Unless the company is fully aware that you are taking the laptops and reselling them, I think it is unethical. If it is a win/win, then why not just get the approval to do it?

[rennigade]

Unless the company is fully aware that you are taking the laptops and reselling them, I think it is unethical. If it is a win/win, then why not just get the approval to do it?

My guess is that its known...the 3 techs at the corporate office will want to start doing it. How will they determine who gets what to sell? Im all by myself in my office in another state. Theres no one to compete with.

Not to mention if its official and everyone starts doing it...what happens when someone gets knifed or mugged when doing a transaction? I dont think my boss could ever say sure go ahead...then he/company could possibly be liable.

[HundredK]

It is definitely not ethical. No question about it.

[TexasHusker]

Unethical.

"Full disclosure."

[disneysteve]

I should also mention that we as IT can take equipment for ourselves whenever we want...manager does not care.

If you are free to take unneeded equipment, I see absolutely nothing wrong with you doing so and profiting from it. I think you'd be dumb not to. I'm surprised that you're the only one who has thought to do that.

If the company is discarding them, they're trash and fair game from the sounds of it.

[TexasHusker]

If you are free to take unneeded equipment, I see absolutely nothing wrong with you doing so and profiting from it. I think you'd be dumb not to. I'm surprised that you're the only one who has thought to do that.

If the company is discarding them, they're trash and fair game from the sounds of it.

The issue is, it's the company's property to do with what they want. As long as they are OK with the OP reselling it as opposed to disposing of it, then it is perfectly fine. The lack of disclosure is what makes this unethical.

[Jluke]

I know of a similar situation like this (local paper reported it) with leftover equipment and the person was determined to have stolen from that company.

However, if you can get the appropriate written ok from the company, then you are in a better situation.

[Singuy]

If you are free to take unneeded equipment, I see absolutely nothing wrong with you doing so and profiting from it. I think you'd be dumb not to. I'm surprised that you're the only one who has thought to do that.

If the company is discarding them, they're trash and fair game from the sounds of it.

+1

Also I don't think a company can officially say "I am okay with my employee reselling equipment". All of a sudden, the act of reselling equipment needs to be under payroll(since now you are doing work for the company). Also will the money earned by taxed as a gift/bonus?

Yeah all sorts of headache vs not caring what the employees do with them.

[cypher1]

Ethical? Probably not. But I know guys that do it all the time. Unless you already got the approval from your management to "recycle" or dispose that end of life equipment on your end.

However, I've worked with other contracts for deploying new hardware and disposing older equipment to another 3rd party contractor to recycle hardware. Management allowed us to swap an old drive or memory or use. While they didn't care since hardware is not part of our inventory, they couldn't technically let us take the equipment for ourselves due to that contract.

The question I'd ask myself: is it really worth it? If you do get caught, and have to explain what you're doing to management. I seen others get terminated for the same thing of postng on eBay and CL for older company equipment. Or have someone else sell it.

[rennigade]

If you are free to take unneeded equipment, I see absolutely nothing wrong with you doing so and profiting from it. I think you'd be dumb not to. I'm surprised that you're the only one who has thought to do that.

If the company is discarding them, they're trash and fair game from the sounds of it.

Thats pretty much how I viewed it. I dont sell them on company time. I do all transactions from my apartment complex.

Since Dec 1 I made $805 selling laptops. Some go for $50 depending on what they look like...the highest went for $150 (thats about the max.)

I bought a bunch of av speaker equipment on bf...total came to $1100. Im still trying to get that down to $0.00 by selling "junk" that we would have to pay to remove.

Ive definitely made a couple grand in the 4 years I worked here. Not to mention Ive given almost all my family members what I consider "new" machines. Both my wife and I are using out of warranty laptops that look brand new. The day I have to buy new hardware will be a sad day. If I would have sold all the ones I gave away for free I could have had another $1500ish. It does bring me joy seeing them not have to spend money on a laptop.

[rennigade]

The question I'd ask myself: is it really worth it? If you do get caught, and have to explain what you're doing to management. I seen others get terminated for the same thing of postng on eBay and CL for older company equipment. Or have someone else sell it.

No its not worth getting fired for a few grand ive made over the years. I just dont see an issue since its going to be "recycled." Meaning the company that we pay to take the equipment away will resell it for themselves.

[disneysteve]

The issue is, it's the company's property to do with what they want.

True, and they've chosen to trash it.

OP said they are free to take equipment so I don't see where he is doing anything wrong by taking it if that is the company policy. What he does with it once he gets it home is no longer up to the company.

[HundredK]

Sounds to me like you know very well it's not ethical and you're looking for help to justify it anyway.

[StormRichards]

then pay an e-waste company to take them away

Something to consider here. These type of agreements are often negotiated, and there could be a contract in place that your company is violating. It could be as simple as "we have a couple laptops, please come by and pick them up." OR it could be that a price was negotiated for handling the e-waste on the stipulation that they get ALL of discarded equipment. They are willing to charge a specific price because the volume will allow for them to make a certain profit. If that volume is going home with employees, then the contract isn't being honored.

Of course this is only hypothetical because the agreement (or lack of) with the vendor is not known to us.

I should also mention that we as IT can take equipment for ourselves whenever we want...manager does not care.

Is Corporate okay with this or just this particular manager? It is possible your manager could be violating a company policy.