Jump to content
[[Template core/front/custom/_customHeader is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]

Payout dilemma in Pick'em work pool


pseudolefty
 Share

Recommended Posts

So a guy at work started up a pick'em pool prior to the season that ran from weeks 1 -17. Buy-in was $44 and 16 people participated. Payouts were supposed to be $32 per week for a weekly high and $160 for overall season winner.

 

I ended up winning the overall pool and sent out a friendly reminder to the coordinator to confirm. Unfortunately, he said someone broke into his office over the Thanksgiving break and stole the cash he had collected for the pool :(. Furthermore, he had not collected up from all the participants at the beginning of the season, so he still needed to send an email to everyone to collect up. Obviously, he broke 2 cardinal sins of running a pool: 1) shouldn't store that amount of cash at work; and 2) should've collected up from everyone at the beginning of the season. What a mess.

 

So the coordinator is dragging his feet (keeps saying he's busy at work). He said that he would end up taking the hit himself, but the longer this drags out, the more I'm getting the impression he hopes I just forget about it and let the payout go by the wayside. Given the circumstances, is this something I should just let pass and be content with a hollow victory of winning the pool? Or is this something I should keep reminding the guy about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one can answer this for you. Being a work relationship, there are risks to your career that we cannot possibly asses nor be held responsible for should they come crashing down on you. That said, here's how I answer your question in a vaccum:

 

He took the responsibility to run the pool, he takes the responsibility to pony up the cash. How he failed isn't your problem, and you should demand your money. Nothing short of full payment works.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what are the others doing about it ? If the money was stolen then did anyone else get paid ?

 

 

Some people may have gotten a weekly high payout prior to the cash being stolen, but the coordinator wasn't good about making payouts every week. I received one payout earlier in the season but got tired of asking later on, so I thought he could just roll in cumulative payouts due at the end of the season. Oh well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you work together, shouldn't you be able to confirm somehow that his office was actually broken into?

 

Either way, I'd say that if he's too lazy to remove the cash from his office and put it in a much safer place like his bank account, paypal, hell even his home over having it in his office, then I would press him to pony up to his obligation, especially if he can't prove he didn't just take the money himself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, it would depend on two things... How certain I am that the guy is being truthful (about the $$ being stolen), and how well I know the guy. Assuming (from your posts) that you don't know him all that well, it sounds like you probably have no way to know whether the $$ was really stolen or not. That sucks... for both of you. For you, because the $$ is gone. For him, because... well, because the $$ is gone. If he's telling the truth, I'm sure he feels terrible about it (or at least most people would). If he's not, well... then he's just a loser. Either way, you probably won't participate in his pool again, correct?

 

The hardest part about this, from your point of view, is probably trying to figure out how to bring this topic up, in passing. Seeing him at work and saying "Hey, I thought about it, and I think I'll take you up on that offer to cover the lost $$ out of your own pocket" seems a bit odd/uncomfortable. So, you're somewhat stuck... Waiting to see if he brings it up to you, instead. If he does (and you think it's fairly likely that he's telling the truth), offer a compromise... Maybe he can come up with half of the pot, out of his pocket (and/or collecting from the deadbeats who didn't pay). That way, you don't lose everything that you're entitled to, and he doesn't have to pay the whole amount himself (again, assuming he's not lying about the theft).

 

But, all things considered, it's probably one of those "lessons learned" scenarios, where it's not worth stirring the pot at work, just for $160. If you make a stink about it, and the consensus is that he's a stand-up guy, it makes you look like the bad guy (at least to some people). In other words, people will be saying/thinking "Can you believe that Jim expects poor Bob to foot the bill for the stolen football pool $$, after poor Bob had the money stolen from his office?"

 

Again, I don't know how well you know this guy, or what you're gut feeling is, in terms of his credibility. But, unless you're pretty sure, one way or the other, it's a tough call. Personally, I'd leave the ball in his court, so to speak, which puts all of the owness on him to do something about it (or else he looks bad, rather than you). That's probably the best you can ask for, given the situation (keep your reputation intact, and if you get any $$ out of it, that's a bonus).

 

This is the main reason I hate friendly/family/work leagues, contests, etc.... particularly if you don't know the person in charge all that well. Things often end badly, with people either not paying, not getting paid, or the commish is shady, unorganized, or both. Ugh.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Which is why there's something fishy going on.

 

If you work together, shouldn't you be able to confirm somehow that his office was actually broken into?

 

Either way, I'd say that if he's too lazy to remove the cash from his office and put it in a much safer place like his bank account, paypal, hell even his home over having it in his office, then I would press him to pony up to his obligation, especially if he can't prove he didn't just take the money himself.

 

I don't disagree with either of the above sentiments. I just think, depending on what type of work atmosphere we're talking about, "pressing" the guy to pay up might be easier said than done (without starting to look like somewhat of a schmuck yourself).

 

One way might be to just jokingly keep bringing it up (even though you're not entirely joking). Like "Hey, did you find that money yet?" Do that 3-4 times, every time you pass him in the hall, and he's bound to either apologize (and you'll get a pretty good idea as to the level of his sincerity), or make a peace offering (like he's trying to come up with the $$ to pay you, etc.). In that case, it's up to you to either play hard ball with him, or possibly (if you're feeling generous), go the route of a compromise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice all. It is an awkward situation. I'm gonna elect to keep quiet and see how it plays out. I do believe the guy is being truthful and the money really was stolen; just a poor decision by him to keep it in his office. I can only speculate a janitor or security guard got into his office since they are the only ones with keys to all the offices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice all. It is an awkward situation. I'm gonna elect to keep quiet and see how it plays out. I do believe the guy is being truthful and the money really was stolen; just a poor decision by him to keep it in his office. I can only speculate a janitor or security guard got into his office since they are the only ones with keys to all the offices.

 

 

Yep, you know better than we do whether it's worth the office drama, how sincere you think he is, etc. Work leagues/pools are definitely a different dynamic than most ones, when you have to work with these people.

 

I think we're more just speaking generally, because the FF community is all too familiar with shady and irresponsible commishes.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice all. It is an awkward situation. I'm gonna elect to keep quiet and see how it plays out. I do believe the guy is being truthful and the money really was stolen; just a poor decision by him to keep it in his office. I can only speculate a janitor or security guard got into his office since they are the only ones with keys to all the offices.

 

 

Then it should be fairly easy to figure out who did this and get your money, no?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, you know better than we do whether it's worth the office drama, how sincere you think he is, etc. Work leagues/pools are definitely a different dynamic than most ones, when you have to work with these people.

 

I think we're more just speaking generally, because the FF community is all too familiar with shady and irresponsible commishes.

 

 

A couple of years ago we had one running two teams in the same league , the 2nd team was vacated before the year started but none of us knew this , the commish kept running it , making ridicules trades between the two teams , gave the 2nd team a new email address and the whole works , yes he ended up winning the league going away

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That sucks, not much to offer on your decision. I guess letting him decide how to handle it is ok. First he should collect from the deadbeats. Then he should cover at least some of the lost money, and give you partial winnings. And yes, he should not handle any cash pools in the future. Did he have anything else of his stolen, other money that wasn't in the pool, personal items of value? Who else knew he had a couple hundred $$ in his desk?

 

I work in a very small office and never leave anything of value there. We have an outside cleaning service (bonded). Many years ago somebody was collecting money to pay for a video he produced (our company spinning off from the parent, moving into our own offices). It was like $10 per person, he kept it in his desk and it was stolen. He covered the loss, but started taking the money home daily. I knew him well and trusted him fully, and believed him.

 

Ever since when we do things for charity each holiday I've told the people involved to check the envelope they have in their cubicle daily, and empty it if there is much there. (We have very few offices, and fewer that lock, many employees with keys and working odd hours.) The last time my supervisor was going on vacation and was telling me "I'm going to leave the envelope here, under this stuff on my desk. I said no, empty it and take it home. Or give to me and I'll hold it. Leaving it unwatched on your desk in a big envelope "Money for Holiday Charity" is an invitation to steal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell him you'll settle for getting your $44 buy-in back and consider yourself lucky if you get it.

 

His story could be true, but it's hard not to consider the worst. Times are difficult right now for some people and they can do irrational things, even with no malicious intent. Be graceful and give him a chance to slide off the hook.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did he make a general announcement to everyone involved about his desk being broken into, or is he only telling people who inquire about their money. Had you not asked would you have even known?

 

 

No general announcement made. Not sure I would've known if I didn't ask. That's why I'm getting the feeling he's procrastinating to the point where he hopes it just goes away by itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information