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This true story unfolded over forty years ago in my first "real" post-college job:
I was employed in the Central Dispatch Office of a major intercity trucking line -- hired as one of a team of four men -- all military veterans save myself. We continuously manned a "trouble desk" on the receiving end of 800-number phone calls from drivers on the road; the issues were spontaneous, could range from the hilarious to the tragic, but mechanical problems predominated.
My supervisors were men who came up through the ranks; not much formal education beyond high school, but they were fairly open-minded, and I bonded with most. I worked, at one time or another each week, with four 2-3 man teams of dispatchers, oversaw movements on some of the easier regions when I wasn't dealing with "in the field" issues. I got along particularly well with one team, both in their thirties and recently divorced, who were referred to as the "Motorcycle Gang". It provided a little diversion for a recent grad otherwise smothered in a small, dull community.
At one point, it was suggested that my degree in Logistics might be put to use by analyzing the incidents. which I did by listing them and calculating averages of delay time and expenses for outside repairs. The figures proved I was doing at least OK compared to the other men, but I didn't call attention to it, nor were the individual calls identified by recipient.
We had an "office snoop" -- appropriately, a member of the Motorcycle Gang. One day, he called me aside and showed me a copy of the report I'd authored, copied word for-word and letter-for-letter and submitted upward through at least two levels of management, with no mention of my efforts.
I was, of course, in no position to bring anyone's attention to this situation, but it served to further poison my jaded attitude toward corporate behavior and office politics. I was to work there for another year, gain a lot of experience, and enjoy at least the "nuts and bolts" of the job. But I got yet another supervisor, this one a WW II veteran with a "spit and polish" attitude I instinctively resented, and I was let go when the economy "tanked" later that year.
But while I'm pretty sure the incident would merely have been "swept under the carpet", I still wonder how things might have turned out, had it come to light.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 10-29-2017 at 10:37 PM..
You wrote it on company time, being paid by company money. The report belongs to the company and is, essentially, "authored" by the company. Your name, legally, is irrelevant.
Now, personally, I would think it is better to reward and recognize those who do a good job; but that's just how I am.
Well, employers ask lots of job applicants these days for "writing samples". I'm pretty sure at least, a few of them use those writing samples for their company business and don't ever hire the person. So these people are providing free work without getting paid. This is something to be wary of. My husband and I have both been asked for writing samples before even setting foot in an interview.
You wrote it on company time, being paid by company money. The report belongs to the company and is, essentially, "authored" by the company. Your name, legally, is irrelevant.
Now, personally, I would think it is better to reward and recognize those who do a good job; but that's just how I am.
Agreed. I had a new, idiot boss one time who was basically a proxy between us techs and the customer. The customer would ask him for help, and he would forward it to us saying "Team, what is the next step here?" After another forward we saw that he was taking our responses to him and re-packing them as his own and making it seem like he was providing the technical support to the customer.
Whatever, happens all the time, and I just laugh inside.
It's not plagiarism when you did it on company time.
I disagree. The definition of plagiarism is: the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
While the document may have belonged to the company, the co-worker (I'm assuming a co-worker since the OP said it was submitted and passed through several levels of management) claimed they did the work which fits the definition. And there is no way of knowing of how this company would have handled it.
My husband once had a co-worker who was caught plagiarizing. He was fired and blacklisted within the industry.
While the document may have belonged to the company, the co-worker (I'm assuming a co-worker since the OP said it was submitted and passed through several levels of management) claimed they did the work which fits the definition. And there is no way of knowing of how this company would have handled it.
He was in a junior position, fresh out of college; it is what it is. We all went though something similar to this and learned from it.
While the document may have belonged to the company, the co-worker (I'm assuming a co-worker since the OP said it was submitted and passed through several levels of management) claimed they did the work which fits the definition. And there is no way of knowing of how this company would have handled it.
The co-worker who planted the idea of analyzing the incidents was one of the "mainstream" dispatchers with which I worked regularly; he was the most educated and articulate of the group, and one of only two who showed any desire to act in mentoring, (and he was not a member of the "Motorcycle Gang").
He in turn passed it on to a low-level "executive"; at the time, the industry consisted of a small number of success stories, and a larger group of also-rans (which survived by virtue of economic regulatory authority which solidified their position in a handful of semi-captive markets; we were one of the latter, and among the many of these who would fail in the wake of deregulation a few years later). Like professional athletes, those with the tools could move from one carrier to another, and it was reputed that the "executive" (whose previous stint was with another also-ran) had some issues in his past. But at any rate, the plagiarized document shown to me had been forwarded by him to a "senior executive" recently let go by one of the few dominant carriers.
At any rate, the incident was a long time ago, and at least 80 percent of the industry's major players at that time are no longer around today (a few have been "reincarnated" -- the name remains, but the original enterprise is long gone). But the story serves to illustrate why too many junior employees become jaded and "fail to launch" -- far too soon.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 10-30-2017 at 11:42 AM..
I get the impression your title should read "coworker plagiarism." Company work product is the company's. But a coworker presenting your work as theirs is a very different matter. It affects bonuses, promotion opportunities, and layoffs.
I disagree. The definition of plagiarism is: the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
While the document may have belonged to the company, the co-worker (I'm assuming a co-worker since the OP said it was submitted and passed through several levels of management) claimed they did the work which fits the definition. And there is no way of knowing of how this company would have handled it.
.
The OP never said someone else claimed they did the work. It was a report that went up the chain. It likely had no one's name on it. If I, as a manager, said, "here's the report you asked for", it is likely assumed that my team had a large part in writing it. I would certainly identify the person in the email (for praise), but the report itself would not have a name on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2nd trick op
We had an "office snoop" -- appropriately, a member of the Motorcycle Gang. One day, he called me aside and showed me a copy of the report I'd authored, copied word for-word and letter-for-letter and submitted upward through at least two levels of management, with no mention of my efforts.
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