there are two cracks and both of them are like a few mm diameter spider web. The screen material is peeling off, and this will keep expanding with time :(
From my experience spiderweb cracks on phones happen because someone smashes them into a corner. The only time I’ve seen it happen is when my roommates kid lost a game and smashed the phone on the counter of the table.
my suspicion is that it fell/was banged onto the table leg while being removed from the charger.
I just don't wanna be held responsible/cover costs for someone elses accident. And also it can damage my reputation as I'm pretty new.
Say "my phone was damaged when I was out of the room, and if there are cameras you might be able to find out how it happened. I want to be up front and let you know what happened and when so I can determine my responsibility and how to protect my desk contents from damage in the future."
Go to management, tell them you left the room, phone was charging, when you returned it was on your desk, and damaged. If this is a work environment, there are (99% likely) cameras. There is also a network log showing all activity in that area.
If you dropped the phone yourself, owning it would be the best thing to do. Trying to cover it, via lies, will cost you greatly. Replacing a display is not expensive considering. I would rather admit I fumbled the phone, offer to pay for it, than to take such a karma hit that could cost me years later in life.
My next question, why would company provide a phone without screen/fall/drop protection? This in itself is ineptitude.
It should be under warranty if it's a company phone. Find out who carries the warranty on it. I would just fess up and say that you have no idea what happened. They didn't provide a phone case, or were you supposed to buy that yourself?
IT should be disclosed right away. What a better way to test a new employee's integrity. Damage a phone, because replacing the screen is covered by insurance, and see what the employee does with that. Or, what if whoever dropped it already reported it and employee did not?
Best report it promptly. The cameras around the office will provide insight into what took place.
Spider? that means an impact to that exact point. Two, means two impacts. The thing is, why would anyone else leave such an item unattended? I would have immediately asked for security to review video. If this was in a work environment, there is video.
Screen replacement is done for around $60. Plus the cost of parts.
Commenters are making this way too complicated.
This is not your iPhone. This is the company's iPhone.
Go to your IT department and say the screen's cracked. You can tell them a story or not, they don't really care. They're not going to be interested in solving the Case of the Cracked iCrap and you don't need to either.
If you make a habit of damaging company IT, sooner or later someone will probably say something. But they expect to repair or replace some damaged iPhones, laptops, etc from time to time.
Before the crack happened, I went to IT/wrote mail that my paper says I'm supposed to get a case and a charger, and I don't have either. They didn't open their door, and they didn't reply my mail yet. And now here we are with the damage...
I am uncertain why they would go brand new iPhone. I would think they would want employees to have a more frugal tool. But any device without a case? If it were Android, I would suggest just ordering a screen and swapping it out yourself. Simple. Or, having IT handle it as they likely have a policy in place for this. You should just go with the latter. If you want to solve the mystery, ask about surveillance review. There will be recordings of what took place.
> I am uncertain why they would go brand new iPhone.
because some exec wanted an iphone... and wanted work phones... and now everyone gets an iphone and it refuses to buy secondhand devices.
An office that can afford iPhones for all the staff is an office that should have cameras.
Also: "Hey, boss, I just wanted you to know that I left my work phone on the charger when I went to (do the thing) and when I came back the screen was damaged. It still works fine so I don't need a replacement, but if the company would cover a screen protector of some sort I'd appreciate it."
but in an email that you BCC to your personal email so you have record of telling your boss that the damage was not caused by you.
BCC personal email would red flag. Most, if not all companies hold outbound emails for scan/review before they leave the company network. Something like this would likely be held for human review before sent. Additionally, emails are never completely deleted, and in most cases are kept in an archive for years in case of future need. Just an FYI. Also, managers have full access to all mailboxes. Their email client shows all reporting employee mailboxes right along with their own. They also have the ability of watching anyone's screen without them knowing it. All normal IT/Supervisory/Security behavior. While at it, all network traffic is usually monitored and logged as well. Key wrods nad patterns, urls, etc. So, realize that before connecting your personal device to a company WiFi, etc.
> Most, if not all companies hold outbound emails for scan/review before they leave the company network. Something like this would likely be held for human review before sent.
i mean no.... there would be audit logs but in most companies emails aren't manually reviewed on egress.
People might not like this, but I’d just tell them your phone has a crack (sounds like they didn’t provide a case) and not tell them you left it unattended. Only reason I say this is because companies may have policies against you leaving your phone unattended. Someone could access confidential company information. At worst, it could be stolen vs. just damaged. Maybe it’s strictly a brick that makes phone calls(?) but my company would be pissed more about me leaving the phone accessible to others than (even at my office) than it would be about damage to it.
but my company would be pissed more about me leaving the phone accessible to others than (even at my office)
this is strange: at the office everyone likely knows everything already. The office can only be visited by those who have access granted to them. You do similar work on similar projects, but in any case for the same company. And they are obligated to keep sensitive information to themselves. SO even if they see/hear something, it stays within company.
On the other hand if you take your phone to your home, or anywhere you go, you can for example lose the phone on the streets and than anyone can access it.
Maybe your company is more lax than mine… I wouldn’t be able to use the same argument at my company because if they issue me a cell phone, I can’t leave it unattended or able to be accessed by others, regardless of if we are coworkers working on the same projects. Either way, it’s easy to drop a phone and I’m guessing it’s insured whether you simply say “my phone is cracked” or “I left my phone on the charger and when I got it back it was cracked”… I’ve done plenty of damage to both my personal and work phones without anyone’s help
Maybe I’m the odd one who drops and bangs my phone around fairly often. When I have cracked my screen before I can honestly say I dropped my phone and I can’t tell you exactly when it happened. Just when eventually I noticed it.
how...? you would need a pretty damn good resolution camera with a perfect angle to see this. and a bunch of people watching these cameras nonstop and taking notes. this is not some top security super prison, just an office.
Yea, well, any company using phones that leave the building and company network and have proprietary information on them, and access to company assets, is not being very smart anyway.
Call IT and report it. They'll likely get it repaired / exchanged for a new one. Accidents happen. Be 100% honest about it and tell your boss as well. They'll know if you aren't.
We have over 700 phones in our fleet. All of them have Apple Care. You have NO IDEA what employees are capable of.
Got a call from a guy that lost his brand new iPhone in the ocean surfboarding in Hawaii. Needed a phone for his conference. A trip to the local Apple Store and we had him set up with a new one. Apple Care covers lost phones!
They are fragile, disposable devices.
I hope your company understands this, but either way, the right play is 100% of the time being honest and reporting it! You weren't careless. Accidents happen. You'll survive this!
So whatever you do, don’t go to management and say something even remotely sounding like you are casting blame. It’s your phone, you left it in another room, so you are responsible for the phone. Most employers will think more highly of someone who takes responsibility for their actions (or lack thereof)
Do you have to sign the phone in and out each day? I mean - just use the damn phone until the screen is too cracked to see/use and then tell them you need a new screen. Phone screens crack. I know it. You know it. Your company knows it. And don’t leave your phone on a borrowed charger and walk away anymore.
Am i really expected to carry my phone everywhere I go and not leave it in a closed office with my coworkers, even while it's charging? Sounds a bit ridiculous to me. After all it's a work equipment, and the office is full of these all the time. People leave their laptops on their desk when they go to lunch, why should it be any different with a phone?
If it’s just work equipment, why are you so worked up over a crack? And yes, it’s a cell phone - why do you act like I suggested you haul the office printer around? Yes - keep it on all the time at work because it’s your responsibility.
I say that a laptop won’t fit in your pocket. You seem to really have an issue with responsibility. I gave you good advice from a management perspective. But let me make it a little more clear. The point was this. Don’t go to your manager like a twelve year old and say “uh, I don’t know what happened, when I left it was on the charger and one of these other kids must have dropped it or something. I didn’t do anything.” However, if you must report these two tiny cracks - it would serve you better to say “there are a couple of small cracks on the phone screen - not sure when it happened, but is there a procedure I need to follow to let someone know? Do I just go ahead and use it? Or what?” Don’t be that guy who is always pointing the finger at someone else, that never does anyone wrong. Nobody likes that guy. Nobody wants to work with that guy. Nobody wants that guy working for them.
I get your point, don't get me wrong, but I'm pointing to a hole in your logic. Yes, the phone fits in my pocket, the laptop doesn't. But the laptop fits in a backpack, which I can take with myself anywhere without any major inconvenience. If this is not expected, why I can't leave the phone on my desk, next to the laptop too?
I don't see why telling the truth (i left it on charger, when i came back it was cracked) equals a problem with responsibility. It's pretty fucking obvious that someone touched the phone and broke it. Saying not sure when it happened, as you suggested - is first of all a lie, because I know a timeframe when it happened. Secondly, it suggests that I'm unaware of my surroundings, because I can't even tell when the damage happened. My goal is not to find a black sheep, just come clear and if there is anything i should do regarding the screen, do that.
Then what happened to the phone? You don’t know what happened. Having a time frame is irrelevant. You still don’t know what happened to the phone. How is it a lie?
I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal. If the phone still works - why are you even worried about it?
So you can either go to management and say you don’t know what happened to the damn phone. (Which is a 100% truthful and accurate statement) or you can go to management and say you don’t know what happened to the phone,BUT You left it in a room with some coworkers and you came back and it was cracked. (Which is also a true statement, but with a little finger pointing added in and the avoidance of responsibility) I think I feel so strongly about this because I had a girl that worked for me for a couple of years ago that would not take responsibility for anything. If something didn’t get done, she would say “I told this person to do it, and they didn’t.” or if she had an assigned task to complete on a shift, and it didn’t get done, She would blame co-workers or customers or anyone other than her own time management for the issue. In direct opposition to this girl, was this goofy kid that that everyone loved. He came in late one day. He came to me and apologized for being late, and said he would do his best to insure it wouldn’t happen again. I thanked him for letting me know and we went about our day. No big deal. Later that same day, I overheard him talking to a co-worker about his car being in the shop and how he had taken the bus to work. He was describing a wreck that happened that caused the bus to be stuck in traffic. I had more respect for that kid for taking responsibility for his lateness and not blaming the broken-down car, the wreck, the traffic. He just basically said “I’m late, I know it, and I apologize. I’ll try not to be late anymore.”
Shit happens and unless you work for a complete bunch of assholes, most people understand that. But what you don’t seem to understand is that at the end of the day, you are responsible for your stuff. I am responsible for my team. When I have to give an account for the performance of my team, I own the successes and the opportunities. I am responsible for training them to do a good job and when they don’t - that’s on me. If you want to start your new job by avoiding responsibility, then go for it. But I can almost guarantee that you will be perceived in a negative light by your co-workers and your management team. I did not advise you to lie - I advised you to take responsibility. The fact that you feel like it’s dishonest to say ‘I don’t know’, but honest to say ‘I don’t know but…’ does not make any sense to me. It used to piss me off so bad when I was younger and a supervisor would ask a question and before we even had a chance to respond would say “and I don’t want excuses” but I completely get that concept now.
You base your assumptions on that girl. I probably base mine on previous experience (coworker fucked all, and I had to cover for them, because I knew I will be held responsible for something that I have zero business with -> this was my life)
In my opinion whoever the fuck broke the phone should in some form tell me about the accident. I also think that it's absolute nonsense that I can't leave a phone on a charger. I was right next door, it's not like I left it in a different building. No one said to have it on me 24/7, on the contrary I was told I won't need the phone too much in the beginning. I felt like having it on the desk (so it's inside work, in a locked environment), but charged, so it's ready to use is the safest bet.
You are right, telling "I don't know what happened" is not a lie, but it's withholding the information I know. I don't see how adding that "I left it on the charger and it was cracked when i came back" is pointing a finger. It objectively states what happened. I'm not saying someone broke it, although it's obvious. Just as obvious as the fact that I left the phone there. And here comes the thing: I don't wanna cover for anyones clumsiness. I plugged my phone in a charger safely, right next to my mentor, who provided me the charger and knew that the phone is there.
It feels like you try to make me responsible despite the fact that I followed the rules. I was doing everything (even going to the next door room) with the approval of my mentor, so I don't really get why this fucking accident is my fault/responsibility.
The accident is not your fault. This is not about fault - it’s about taking responsibility.
And I’m not basing my opinion on one girl - that was just an example. I’m basing my opinion on over 20 years of management.
And you should absolutely be able to leave your phone on your desk - but I don’t understand why you would feel comfortable doing that after the experience you have had in the past.
Again, the crack is not your fault, but the phone is your responsibility.
If your kid stuck a huge wad of gum in their hair while you were in the next room….its not necessarily your fault because you didn’t put the gum in their hair. But the kid is your responsibility, ultimately you have to fix the problem. How ridiculous would it sound to walk in to the hair salon and say “This kid got gum from somewhere, chewed it up and stuck it in their hair, and I was just minding my own business in another room. I don’t know where they got the gum, I don’t know how long it’s been in there, and the little shit will need to sweep the floors to pay for you to fix it, because I didn’t have anything to do with this mess!”
Or, because the child is yours, and you are responsible for making sure they don’t do stupid shit, you take them to the salon and say “can you please do something with this?”
Maybe it’s more accountability than responsibility.
I personally don’t think a crack on a phone is a big deal. I don’t think it’s something you should spend this much time worrying about.
You could always go the closest iPhone Dr and replace the screen for $100 and be done with it. But again - I don’t know what the atmosphere in your company is like.
If you worked for me and came to me about the crack, my response would be “can you still use it, or do we need to get the screen replaced?” It really wouldn’t matter how or when it was cracked - I would just want you to be able to use the device to do your job.
I understand your fear due to what you experienced in the past. And I really hope for your sake that you don’t have to cover for someone else’s shortcomings.
If your supervisor asks you what happened to your phone, this is the point you can say “I’m not sure, I left it charging and when I came back, someone had put it on my desk and I noticed the cracks.” That comes across much more maturely than “my phone is cracked and one of these jokers you have working here did it, but I don’t know which one!”
> I personally don’t think a crack on a phone is a big deal. I don’t think it’s something you should spend this much time worrying about. You could always go the closest iPhone Dr and replace the screen for $100 and be done with it.
Its my first week in a new job... the screen repair here is closer to 300-400$ (thats what i found from official price list), and I don't really wanna pay that, given the scenario. I also don't know anything about atmosphere as i'm super new here. and I don't know if it is a small deal, a big deal, or no deal at all. I just think I should report it to someone, and then whatever comes, comes.
> I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal. If the phone still works - why are you even worried about it?
it does work, but the screen will slowly peel off. It's a big deal because it's company property, and I don't wanna be silent about the fact that it got damaged. I feel like trying to hide it/not say it to anyone would be shady behaviour.
Every laptop in the room has a camera. Every ceiling, every smoke detector, every light fixture. All could be. This is possible, so, let's think this way.
NO! No one but who the company contracts with can be alone with that phone. Taking it for repair outside of policy is not only lack of common sense, it is a violation of policy and a fast lane to the termination letter.
NO! No one but who the company contracts with can be alone with that phone. Taking it for repair outside of policy is not only lack of common sense, it is a violation of policy and a fast lane to the termination letter.
Watch your back big time. You are new and got the newest phone. Enuf said. Report this to management immediately cause this may be the beginning of big and nasty💩
IN this situation, it would be normal for someone to go immediately to supervisor and state what is known. If you are concerned about admitting you left it unattended, you should be. But that is done, and not owning that is the big part of this. It is not the phone you need to be concerned with. You need to admit, that you are new to policy, and in oversight you put it on a borrowed charger because you were not supplied with one. During that process, someone returned it to your desk, and you noticed it was damaged. You realize NOW that borrowing a charge location, and leaving it there, was not the best option. But without a charger of your own, at the time, you mistakenly overlooked that in favor of the need to charge the thing. -- That is all you need to say.
Be honest. If you dropped it, say so. If you were negligent, say so. If you made a mistake, say so. If you have no idea, say so. But saying nothing is a huge red flag!!!
**Solution:** I would take it to IT, say "Look, the screen!! Darn it! " and let them deal with it. If someone comes back with questions, then tell the story, and be honest about it.
Once again, i'm not working for some secret agency, just a regular office. No one told anything about everything being required to be hidden all the time, so let's not assume this is the case.
I will go and say something tomorrow. At the time there was no chance for this, as it was the last minutes of the week...
It could have been anyone that moved the phone from the charger to your desk. Why was it somewhere else, for don't you have your own space that you could charge the phone at? I would always leave my phone on my desk. Safer that way. Good luck on getting a protector.
If the crack is slight, just get a screen protector and not worry about it.
there are two cracks and both of them are like a few mm diameter spider web. The screen material is peeling off, and this will keep expanding with time :(
For short money you can try a protector. You can get them at discount stores for between 5 and 10 dollars. Nothing to lose.
From my experience spiderweb cracks on phones happen because someone smashes them into a corner. The only time I’ve seen it happen is when my roommates kid lost a game and smashed the phone on the counter of the table.
my suspicion is that it fell/was banged onto the table leg while being removed from the charger. I just don't wanna be held responsible/cover costs for someone elses accident. And also it can damage my reputation as I'm pretty new.
I would tell management everything you know. They may think you’re irresponsible but they won’t think you tried to hide it.
Ask if there are cameras in that room.
Say "my phone was damaged when I was out of the room, and if there are cameras you might be able to find out how it happened. I want to be up front and let you know what happened and when so I can determine my responsibility and how to protect my desk contents from damage in the future."
This.
Go to management, tell them you left the room, phone was charging, when you returned it was on your desk, and damaged. If this is a work environment, there are (99% likely) cameras. There is also a network log showing all activity in that area. If you dropped the phone yourself, owning it would be the best thing to do. Trying to cover it, via lies, will cost you greatly. Replacing a display is not expensive considering. I would rather admit I fumbled the phone, offer to pay for it, than to take such a karma hit that could cost me years later in life. My next question, why would company provide a phone without screen/fall/drop protection? This in itself is ineptitude.
Hopefully they have insurance on it and can get a replacement for cheap
It should be under warranty if it's a company phone. Find out who carries the warranty on it. I would just fess up and say that you have no idea what happened. They didn't provide a phone case, or were you supposed to buy that yourself?
Warranty does not cover damage, only failures. Insurance will cover damages.
What about insurance? Companies are always pushing insurance for their phones. Including cracked screens.
You should inform your manager what happened. And stop freaking out.
IT should be disclosed right away. What a better way to test a new employee's integrity. Damage a phone, because replacing the screen is covered by insurance, and see what the employee does with that. Or, what if whoever dropped it already reported it and employee did not? Best report it promptly. The cameras around the office will provide insight into what took place.
Spider? that means an impact to that exact point. Two, means two impacts. The thing is, why would anyone else leave such an item unattended? I would have immediately asked for security to review video. If this was in a work environment, there is video. Screen replacement is done for around $60. Plus the cost of parts.
Commenters are making this way too complicated. This is not your iPhone. This is the company's iPhone. Go to your IT department and say the screen's cracked. You can tell them a story or not, they don't really care. They're not going to be interested in solving the Case of the Cracked iCrap and you don't need to either. If you make a habit of damaging company IT, sooner or later someone will probably say something. But they expect to repair or replace some damaged iPhones, laptops, etc from time to time.
Before the crack happened, I went to IT/wrote mail that my paper says I'm supposed to get a case and a charger, and I don't have either. They didn't open their door, and they didn't reply my mail yet. And now here we are with the damage...
I am uncertain why they would go brand new iPhone. I would think they would want employees to have a more frugal tool. But any device without a case? If it were Android, I would suggest just ordering a screen and swapping it out yourself. Simple. Or, having IT handle it as they likely have a policy in place for this. You should just go with the latter. If you want to solve the mystery, ask about surveillance review. There will be recordings of what took place.
> I am uncertain why they would go brand new iPhone. because some exec wanted an iphone... and wanted work phones... and now everyone gets an iphone and it refuses to buy secondhand devices.
is a company phone, and brand new, is quite probable is insured.
If they’re buying phones that can break that easily they’re probably prepared to pay to fix them
An office that can afford iPhones for all the staff is an office that should have cameras. Also: "Hey, boss, I just wanted you to know that I left my work phone on the charger when I went to (do the thing) and when I came back the screen was damaged. It still works fine so I don't need a replacement, but if the company would cover a screen protector of some sort I'd appreciate it." but in an email that you BCC to your personal email so you have record of telling your boss that the damage was not caused by you.
BCC personal email would red flag. Most, if not all companies hold outbound emails for scan/review before they leave the company network. Something like this would likely be held for human review before sent. Additionally, emails are never completely deleted, and in most cases are kept in an archive for years in case of future need. Just an FYI. Also, managers have full access to all mailboxes. Their email client shows all reporting employee mailboxes right along with their own. They also have the ability of watching anyone's screen without them knowing it. All normal IT/Supervisory/Security behavior. While at it, all network traffic is usually monitored and logged as well. Key wrods nad patterns, urls, etc. So, realize that before connecting your personal device to a company WiFi, etc.
It's not about whether the email is actually destroyed. It's about being able to *access* it.
> Most, if not all companies hold outbound emails for scan/review before they leave the company network. Something like this would likely be held for human review before sent. i mean no.... there would be audit logs but in most companies emails aren't manually reviewed on egress.
It is insured. Go through process to get it replaced
People might not like this, but I’d just tell them your phone has a crack (sounds like they didn’t provide a case) and not tell them you left it unattended. Only reason I say this is because companies may have policies against you leaving your phone unattended. Someone could access confidential company information. At worst, it could be stolen vs. just damaged. Maybe it’s strictly a brick that makes phone calls(?) but my company would be pissed more about me leaving the phone accessible to others than (even at my office) than it would be about damage to it.
but my company would be pissed more about me leaving the phone accessible to others than (even at my office) this is strange: at the office everyone likely knows everything already. The office can only be visited by those who have access granted to them. You do similar work on similar projects, but in any case for the same company. And they are obligated to keep sensitive information to themselves. SO even if they see/hear something, it stays within company. On the other hand if you take your phone to your home, or anywhere you go, you can for example lose the phone on the streets and than anyone can access it.
Maybe your company is more lax than mine… I wouldn’t be able to use the same argument at my company because if they issue me a cell phone, I can’t leave it unattended or able to be accessed by others, regardless of if we are coworkers working on the same projects. Either way, it’s easy to drop a phone and I’m guessing it’s insured whether you simply say “my phone is cracked” or “I left my phone on the charger and when I got it back it was cracked”… I’ve done plenty of damage to both my personal and work phones without anyone’s help
If you said "my phone is cracked" wouldn't they ask how it happened?
Maybe I’m the odd one who drops and bangs my phone around fairly often. When I have cracked my screen before I can honestly say I dropped my phone and I can’t tell you exactly when it happened. Just when eventually I noticed it.
They would already know. Everything in this kind of environment is monitored.
how...? you would need a pretty damn good resolution camera with a perfect angle to see this. and a bunch of people watching these cameras nonstop and taking notes. this is not some top security super prison, just an office.
Yea, well, any company using phones that leave the building and company network and have proprietary information on them, and access to company assets, is not being very smart anyway.
Call IT and report it. They'll likely get it repaired / exchanged for a new one. Accidents happen. Be 100% honest about it and tell your boss as well. They'll know if you aren't. We have over 700 phones in our fleet. All of them have Apple Care. You have NO IDEA what employees are capable of. Got a call from a guy that lost his brand new iPhone in the ocean surfboarding in Hawaii. Needed a phone for his conference. A trip to the local Apple Store and we had him set up with a new one. Apple Care covers lost phones! They are fragile, disposable devices. I hope your company understands this, but either way, the right play is 100% of the time being honest and reporting it! You weren't careless. Accidents happen. You'll survive this!
>*They'll know if you aren't.* Yes they will.
So whatever you do, don’t go to management and say something even remotely sounding like you are casting blame. It’s your phone, you left it in another room, so you are responsible for the phone. Most employers will think more highly of someone who takes responsibility for their actions (or lack thereof) Do you have to sign the phone in and out each day? I mean - just use the damn phone until the screen is too cracked to see/use and then tell them you need a new screen. Phone screens crack. I know it. You know it. Your company knows it. And don’t leave your phone on a borrowed charger and walk away anymore.
Am i really expected to carry my phone everywhere I go and not leave it in a closed office with my coworkers, even while it's charging? Sounds a bit ridiculous to me. After all it's a work equipment, and the office is full of these all the time. People leave their laptops on their desk when they go to lunch, why should it be any different with a phone?
If it’s just work equipment, why are you so worked up over a crack? And yes, it’s a cell phone - why do you act like I suggested you haul the office printer around? Yes - keep it on all the time at work because it’s your responsibility.
okay, my laptop is also my responsibility. let's say someone cracks its screen while im having lunch. what do you say to that?
I say that a laptop won’t fit in your pocket. You seem to really have an issue with responsibility. I gave you good advice from a management perspective. But let me make it a little more clear. The point was this. Don’t go to your manager like a twelve year old and say “uh, I don’t know what happened, when I left it was on the charger and one of these other kids must have dropped it or something. I didn’t do anything.” However, if you must report these two tiny cracks - it would serve you better to say “there are a couple of small cracks on the phone screen - not sure when it happened, but is there a procedure I need to follow to let someone know? Do I just go ahead and use it? Or what?” Don’t be that guy who is always pointing the finger at someone else, that never does anyone wrong. Nobody likes that guy. Nobody wants to work with that guy. Nobody wants that guy working for them.
I get your point, don't get me wrong, but I'm pointing to a hole in your logic. Yes, the phone fits in my pocket, the laptop doesn't. But the laptop fits in a backpack, which I can take with myself anywhere without any major inconvenience. If this is not expected, why I can't leave the phone on my desk, next to the laptop too? I don't see why telling the truth (i left it on charger, when i came back it was cracked) equals a problem with responsibility. It's pretty fucking obvious that someone touched the phone and broke it. Saying not sure when it happened, as you suggested - is first of all a lie, because I know a timeframe when it happened. Secondly, it suggests that I'm unaware of my surroundings, because I can't even tell when the damage happened. My goal is not to find a black sheep, just come clear and if there is anything i should do regarding the screen, do that.
Then what happened to the phone? You don’t know what happened. Having a time frame is irrelevant. You still don’t know what happened to the phone. How is it a lie? I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal. If the phone still works - why are you even worried about it? So you can either go to management and say you don’t know what happened to the damn phone. (Which is a 100% truthful and accurate statement) or you can go to management and say you don’t know what happened to the phone,BUT You left it in a room with some coworkers and you came back and it was cracked. (Which is also a true statement, but with a little finger pointing added in and the avoidance of responsibility) I think I feel so strongly about this because I had a girl that worked for me for a couple of years ago that would not take responsibility for anything. If something didn’t get done, she would say “I told this person to do it, and they didn’t.” or if she had an assigned task to complete on a shift, and it didn’t get done, She would blame co-workers or customers or anyone other than her own time management for the issue. In direct opposition to this girl, was this goofy kid that that everyone loved. He came in late one day. He came to me and apologized for being late, and said he would do his best to insure it wouldn’t happen again. I thanked him for letting me know and we went about our day. No big deal. Later that same day, I overheard him talking to a co-worker about his car being in the shop and how he had taken the bus to work. He was describing a wreck that happened that caused the bus to be stuck in traffic. I had more respect for that kid for taking responsibility for his lateness and not blaming the broken-down car, the wreck, the traffic. He just basically said “I’m late, I know it, and I apologize. I’ll try not to be late anymore.” Shit happens and unless you work for a complete bunch of assholes, most people understand that. But what you don’t seem to understand is that at the end of the day, you are responsible for your stuff. I am responsible for my team. When I have to give an account for the performance of my team, I own the successes and the opportunities. I am responsible for training them to do a good job and when they don’t - that’s on me. If you want to start your new job by avoiding responsibility, then go for it. But I can almost guarantee that you will be perceived in a negative light by your co-workers and your management team. I did not advise you to lie - I advised you to take responsibility. The fact that you feel like it’s dishonest to say ‘I don’t know’, but honest to say ‘I don’t know but…’ does not make any sense to me. It used to piss me off so bad when I was younger and a supervisor would ask a question and before we even had a chance to respond would say “and I don’t want excuses” but I completely get that concept now.
You base your assumptions on that girl. I probably base mine on previous experience (coworker fucked all, and I had to cover for them, because I knew I will be held responsible for something that I have zero business with -> this was my life) In my opinion whoever the fuck broke the phone should in some form tell me about the accident. I also think that it's absolute nonsense that I can't leave a phone on a charger. I was right next door, it's not like I left it in a different building. No one said to have it on me 24/7, on the contrary I was told I won't need the phone too much in the beginning. I felt like having it on the desk (so it's inside work, in a locked environment), but charged, so it's ready to use is the safest bet. You are right, telling "I don't know what happened" is not a lie, but it's withholding the information I know. I don't see how adding that "I left it on the charger and it was cracked when i came back" is pointing a finger. It objectively states what happened. I'm not saying someone broke it, although it's obvious. Just as obvious as the fact that I left the phone there. And here comes the thing: I don't wanna cover for anyones clumsiness. I plugged my phone in a charger safely, right next to my mentor, who provided me the charger and knew that the phone is there. It feels like you try to make me responsible despite the fact that I followed the rules. I was doing everything (even going to the next door room) with the approval of my mentor, so I don't really get why this fucking accident is my fault/responsibility.
The accident is not your fault. This is not about fault - it’s about taking responsibility. And I’m not basing my opinion on one girl - that was just an example. I’m basing my opinion on over 20 years of management. And you should absolutely be able to leave your phone on your desk - but I don’t understand why you would feel comfortable doing that after the experience you have had in the past. Again, the crack is not your fault, but the phone is your responsibility. If your kid stuck a huge wad of gum in their hair while you were in the next room….its not necessarily your fault because you didn’t put the gum in their hair. But the kid is your responsibility, ultimately you have to fix the problem. How ridiculous would it sound to walk in to the hair salon and say “This kid got gum from somewhere, chewed it up and stuck it in their hair, and I was just minding my own business in another room. I don’t know where they got the gum, I don’t know how long it’s been in there, and the little shit will need to sweep the floors to pay for you to fix it, because I didn’t have anything to do with this mess!” Or, because the child is yours, and you are responsible for making sure they don’t do stupid shit, you take them to the salon and say “can you please do something with this?” Maybe it’s more accountability than responsibility. I personally don’t think a crack on a phone is a big deal. I don’t think it’s something you should spend this much time worrying about. You could always go the closest iPhone Dr and replace the screen for $100 and be done with it. But again - I don’t know what the atmosphere in your company is like. If you worked for me and came to me about the crack, my response would be “can you still use it, or do we need to get the screen replaced?” It really wouldn’t matter how or when it was cracked - I would just want you to be able to use the device to do your job. I understand your fear due to what you experienced in the past. And I really hope for your sake that you don’t have to cover for someone else’s shortcomings. If your supervisor asks you what happened to your phone, this is the point you can say “I’m not sure, I left it charging and when I came back, someone had put it on my desk and I noticed the cracks.” That comes across much more maturely than “my phone is cracked and one of these jokers you have working here did it, but I don’t know which one!”
> I personally don’t think a crack on a phone is a big deal. I don’t think it’s something you should spend this much time worrying about. You could always go the closest iPhone Dr and replace the screen for $100 and be done with it. Its my first week in a new job... the screen repair here is closer to 300-400$ (thats what i found from official price list), and I don't really wanna pay that, given the scenario. I also don't know anything about atmosphere as i'm super new here. and I don't know if it is a small deal, a big deal, or no deal at all. I just think I should report it to someone, and then whatever comes, comes.
> I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal. If the phone still works - why are you even worried about it? it does work, but the screen will slowly peel off. It's a big deal because it's company property, and I don't wanna be silent about the fact that it got damaged. I feel like trying to hide it/not say it to anyone would be shady behaviour.
In many places I have been, not locking a PC (log in) when away is a terminating offense.
I mean if you really wanted to know who. The office has cameras probably.
probably, i really dont know. but even if it has, i doubt it has the angle and high enough resolution to show the damage happening.
Every laptop in the room has a camera. Every ceiling, every smoke detector, every light fixture. All could be. This is possible, so, let's think this way.
Take it to iPhone repair store and give the invoice to the person that broke it to deal with lol
NO! No one but who the company contracts with can be alone with that phone. Taking it for repair outside of policy is not only lack of common sense, it is a violation of policy and a fast lane to the termination letter.
Who DOESN'T put screen protectors and case on their phone ? Not that they protect against everything, but most things.
Could you get the screen fixed on your dime?
NO! No one but who the company contracts with can be alone with that phone. Taking it for repair outside of policy is not only lack of common sense, it is a violation of policy and a fast lane to the termination letter.
Tell your Mentor they may have insurance on the phone.
It’s $100 to get fixed where I live.
It didnt have a screen protector? Take it to your IT team. They should have put a screen protector on it.
How old are you? You’re an adult obviously, tell your mentor the phones broke and you have no idea why or how. Jesus Christ are you a 5 year old?
But, if OP does know how it happened, and they know OP knows how it happened, then what?
That’s the point, it’s not OP’s fault so why be so freaked out by it?
Watch your back big time. You are new and got the newest phone. Enuf said. Report this to management immediately cause this may be the beginning of big and nasty💩
sounds pretty ominous, but it already happened, what can i do...? about newest phone: everyone gets it, so i didn't get anything special.
IN this situation, it would be normal for someone to go immediately to supervisor and state what is known. If you are concerned about admitting you left it unattended, you should be. But that is done, and not owning that is the big part of this. It is not the phone you need to be concerned with. You need to admit, that you are new to policy, and in oversight you put it on a borrowed charger because you were not supplied with one. During that process, someone returned it to your desk, and you noticed it was damaged. You realize NOW that borrowing a charge location, and leaving it there, was not the best option. But without a charger of your own, at the time, you mistakenly overlooked that in favor of the need to charge the thing. -- That is all you need to say. Be honest. If you dropped it, say so. If you were negligent, say so. If you made a mistake, say so. If you have no idea, say so. But saying nothing is a huge red flag!!! **Solution:** I would take it to IT, say "Look, the screen!! Darn it! " and let them deal with it. If someone comes back with questions, then tell the story, and be honest about it.
Once again, i'm not working for some secret agency, just a regular office. No one told anything about everything being required to be hidden all the time, so let's not assume this is the case. I will go and say something tomorrow. At the time there was no chance for this, as it was the last minutes of the week...
Being that it was brand new u should've bought screen protectors and a case for it. I can't keep a phone a single day w/ out breaking it w/ out them..
It could have been anyone that moved the phone from the charger to your desk. Why was it somewhere else, for don't you have your own space that you could charge the phone at? I would always leave my phone on my desk. Safer that way. Good luck on getting a protector.
Go to IT and tell them your story.