Conflict of Interest?

[foosgoalie1]

I\'ve recently been accused of having a conflict of interest at work. I work for a LGS 1 day/week and voluntarily run a painting clinic at another LGS across town 1 day/ month. I decided not to tell either owner about it since I thought it was a non-issue and I was concerned that either person could nix the deal. I had always wanted to run a clinic and have in the past but not on a regular basis. What does anyone think of this?

 

[Ritual]

I think you do have a conflict of interest. Sure, your motive for having that painting clinic is probably purely for the sake of the hobby and to help people, but for the shop it is for commercial interests. That means that either of the store keepers could very well see this as a problem.

 

[supervike]

So, you work 1 day a week and your boss thinks they can tell you what you can or cannot do for FREE on your own time?


Sounds pretty weak to me.

Maybe if you were a full time employee, i could understand the concern.

Also, you probably would have been better off just fessing up to it before hand.

 

[airhead]

I can understand either one\'s concern.

Painting clinics bring people into the store where they buy paints and minis and brushes. That is why store owners are willing to host them for you for free instead of charging you space.

Your employer is in competition with the other game shop and you are taking customers to that other game shop. And subsequently money out of your employeer\'s pocket.


Now, if one shop had no paints, minis etc. (comic book store) and the other was pure mini, then I could see that is was not a conflict of intrest.

 

[Evil Dave]

I\'m with Vike on this one.
Me working for you one day a week doesn\'t give you the right to tell me how I can spend my free time. (Unless we\'re talking about you paying me like $10,000 a day or something.)
Now, I can see the concern of the LGS where you work, however, it would probably be in his best interest to allow your painting clinic is his shop rather than try to dictate what you do in your free time.

 

[foosgoalie1]

That \'s the thing. Because I go to either place only occassionally, this conflict of interest is a very grey area. The owner at the painting clinic now knows and is fine with it, the worker accusing me has decided to take it in his own hands to let the other owner know later today. Personally, I could care less but I am interested in other opinions.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Oh so what your saying is you have a jealous coworker making trouble and the actual game shop owner has no knowledge yet. Well if so Id beat your rat coworker to the punch and go tell your employer.. that will make the other guy look like a little snitch.

I agree what you do on your own free time is your own business, but I think you do need to discuss it with your employer.

 

[johnboyjjb]

If the two stores are close enough to compete I would say it is a conflict but I wouldn\'t get worked up over it unless you didn\'t offer to do a painting clinic in your employers store as well.

 

[foosgoalie1]

Ya, I could have told the owner first since the rat gave me a whole day to but I would rather have killed myself than bow to his threat, if you know what I mean.

 

[foosgoalie1]

The store where I work already runs a clinic every Sunday and turned down my request a year ago. The two stores are on opposite sides of the city and the one where I work is actually the biggest store in North America (located in an actual warehouse, 2000+ sq.ft.) and the other store is a small one on a strip mall.

 

[DrEvilmonki]

Sorry 1 day or full time you are privy to commercial information of the guys business.
Doesn\'t matter if you discuss the guys business or not at the other place - just that the possibility could arise.

You were very unwise not to be open about it.

 

[Shadzar]

Originally posted by foosgoalie1
I\'ve recently been accused of having a conflict of interest at work. I work for a LGS 1 day/week and voluntarily run a painting clinic at another LGS across town 1 day/ month. I decided not to tell either owner about it since I thought it was a non-issue and I was concerned that either person could nix the deal. I had always wanted to run a clinic and have in the past but not on a regular basis. What does anyone think of this?

the two most recent in my area have this same problem. while competition is god to drive business some LGS take things way too seriously.

they should strive to build a better gaming community in the smal areas like my own. or heaven forbid try to jsut make money, but instead they try to outdo each other to the detriment of the business. i got entirely fed up with it.

in the situation no one wins. neither of the stores, nor the gamers or even comic customers.

and my situation falls into sorta similar category but i wont go into details.

the crux of the matter is that if one store offers some things another doesn\'t you shouldn\'t be expected not to go to another store.

i had a similar event in a Food Lion grocery store when trying to locate a product and the cashier gave me a snide remark to the effect of you shouldn\'t be buying from the other grocery store; when Food Lion didn\'t carry what i needed. well corporate office got a phone call and i was sent a formal apology from the manager of the Food Lion i went to along with one form the cashier and corporate as well as a small \"gift certificate\".

i think it is not eBay that is killing the B&M and \"mom & pop\" gaming stores, but the attitudes of the owners and the gamers. they should get their priorities straight and try to build a better gaming community to get more customers and gamers where multiple stores in a single city can have enough customers rather than the in-fighting that causes potential customers form being driven away so neither store has enough customers to stay in business.

i would say if the one you \"work\" at for a day out of the week isnt needed income, then tell them goodbye for their bad attitude, you will become a patron of the one you enjoy, and allows you to run your painting clinic to build our hobby up.

if its both pulling the stupid stuff then tell them both, and try to find another. thats what i had to do, but there isnt another for me so i am SOL.

don\'t take gruff form either in any event. make sure you are having fun with your hobbies.


you don\'t see walmart employees being stopped in front of the kmart being told they cannot shop their or they lose their jobs.

would it be any different if you worked day shift at one restaraunt and night at another? i would hope not.

maybe the two stores need to work together in the community instead of what sounds like fighting over gamers and hobby enthusiasts.

 

[foosgoalie1]

That\'s what I\'m looking for ... discussion on this topic, for or against. BTW I have nothing at all against my employer. It was a judgement call and I have to live with it now.

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by Shadzar
...you don\'t see walmart employees being stopped in front of the kmart being told they cannot shop their or they lose their jobs...

No, but you cannot work part-time at both.

 

[Evil Dave]

Originally posted by airhead

Originally posted by Shadzar
...you don\'t see walmart employees being stopped in front of the kmart being told they cannot shop their or they lose their jobs...

No, but you cannot work part-time at both.

That depends. If you are a manager at both and setting prices and the such, maybe, it would really depend on the laws in the state.
If you\'re a buggy pusher for Albertson\'s and a buggy pusher for Wal-mart there is no conflict.

 

[Shadzar]

Originally posted by airhead

Originally posted by Shadzar
...you don\'t see walmart employees being stopped in front of the kmart being told they cannot shop their or they lose their jobs...

No, but you cannot work part-time at both.

since when? wouldn\'t that be a form of discrimination?

 

[airhead]

I don\'t see the laws of the state having a lot to say about it. Most companies have the right to hire or not hire based on many factors - working for the competion is generally frowned upon in most employee handbooks and company policies.

Discrimination? I don\'t see how. If you are working for the competition, I don\'t want you to have access to my corporate stuff.

At higher levels it gets worse. Ever have to sign a no-compete clause? If I quit, I cannot go into the same field for one year.

 

[foosgoalie1]

So because I work PT (1 day/week) at one store I can\'t voluntarily help anyone paint at another store?

 

[airhead]

Originally posted by foosgoalie1
So because I work PT (1 day/week) at one store I can\'t voluntarily help anyone paint at another store?

That would depend upon the store policy of the store that is employing you.

Aiding the competition is generally a firable offence.

If I was the manager/owner and you told me of your class when I hired you, it might be different.
But if I was your boss now and found out - especially second hand - I\'d let you go.

Many forget the purpose of a business, be it a game shop, a book store, a car dealership. The purpose is to make money. If a business does not make money, it ceases to be. Giving free time to the competion does not put more money in a cache register, quite the contrary, it puts money in the competion\'s cach register.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by DrEvilmonki
Sorry 1 day or full time you are privy to commercial information of the guys business.
Doesn\'t matter if you discuss the guys business or not at the other place - just that the possibility could arise.

You were very unwise not to be open about it.

I agree with this statement but with a reservation, should you not be a paid employee of the store where you are doing these painting clinics, then there \'should\' be no direct commercial confidentiality issue.
Unless of course you have been unwise enough to discuss your 1 day a week employers business to the other store manager, in which case you would be in breach of whatever employment contract you have.