One great thing about television shows based in the workplace is that they provide countless examples of what to do, and what not to do, in the face of seemingly absurd, though often commonplace, occurrences. No show embodies this more than Superstore. Superstore is a comedy about the daily lives of a group of big box store employees who work for the fictional American superstore, Cloud 9. The show stars America Ferrera as Assistant Manager Amy Sosa and Ben Feldman as Store Associate Jonah Simms who, along with their castmates, navigate their daily work lives at Cloud 9.
A show favorite, and one of Amy and Jonah’s co-workers, Mateo Liwanag, played by Nico Santos, produces many laughs, but he also provides important lessons. In one episode, Store Manager Glenn Sturgis, played by Mark McKinney, discovers that Cloud 9 signed up a large number of seemingly non-existent customers for customer rewards cards. As he connects the dots, it becomes apparent that someone has been submitting fake customer rewards cards, likely for the monetary reward available to employees for each such card that is signed. Eventually, Mateo confesses to forging the customer rewards cards. Mateo asks Glenn what he can do to prove that he is sorry for his actions. Glenn, a devout Christian, decides to baptize Mateo as penance.
This whirlwind of events could form the basis of numerous articles, but the focus here is on employer policies. It is unclear if Cloud 9 maintained a policy detailing the disciplinary process applicable to employee fraud. Though Glenn’s solution to baptize Mateo provides laughs for the show, that ad hoc solution is certainly not advisable.
Employers should have detailed procedures to deal with situations such as employee fraud (and that procedure should not include baptism or other religious practice). Why is that important? First, it puts employees on notice of their employer’s expectations and of the consequences of engaging in fraudulent behavior. Transparency and communication are vital to dealing with these unfortunate situations. Second, it protects against an inference of discrimination when employers issue discipline for engaging in such behavior. Now, employers must also ensure they apply their disciplinary procedures to all employees, every time. If employers take these few proactive steps, and commit to their disciplinary procedures, they will have much stronger defense against potential claims of discrimination, whether in the form of an EEOC charge or a lawsuit, that employees could bring following discipline.
The seriousness of this issue aside, Superstore is a show filled with endless fun. So, if you had a long day or week at work, give it a watch! I think you’ll enjoy it. And be on the lookout for any lessons applicable to the workplace, knowing this will likely be a lesson in what not to do.
