Should I and all turn their backs on coworker

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I work for a small company of like 12 employees. A girl was fired and management made its case against her saying she stole items and was selling them on ebay. One of the employees was there when she was fired, apparently she was not asked any questions, she to management she had receipts for what she was selling, she was not stealng and they didn't talk to her at all or ask questions, just fired her and told her to get an attorney. Now it seems there will be no legal action yet at work everyone based on what management has said considers her guilty and has not spoken to her to get her side nor will they talk to her at all. She has texted people and they said we are not going to talk to her after what she did. This person worked for the company for 14 years, she has been one of the best employees, always working over, always helping above and beyond, she was great with clients even away from work, if she saw an old person with a need she would bring them food or help them. If any of us employees had a need, she was there to help us always. She is a great mom and very active parent to her 2 girls and a very respected person. Seems through the vine I have heard that she can't talk about things per her attorney based on threats of a lawsuit so she can't tell her side. Seems she has said she won't fight for a job that they would do this to her and has gotten other employment. My question is everyone has turned their backs on her and that is me as well being management has made it know they dont want us really associating with her but everyone just assumes based on their story she is guilty and says I won't have anything to do with her. I struggle because she has done so many nice things for me and my family and regardless of what she may or may not have done, should I turn my back on someone that was so good to me? I just can't imagine her doing this but if she did, the type of person she is, the only reason would be because her one daughter needed pretty expensive treatment for her anxiety/depression. What do you think is right here?

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[+5] - jespah - 08/20/2016Management can't tell you who to be friends with. Period. In fact, management has very little say in what you do outside of working hours, so long as it's not illegal or damaging company...

@labradors,

Management can't tell you who to be friends with. Period.

In fact, management has very little say in what you do outside of working hours, so long as it's not illegal or damaging company equipment or reputation. Want to go to strip clubs? Picket Chik-fil-A? Cosplay as Jabba the Hutt? Management can't say boo - except for the question about company reputation. But that's an incredibly fuzzy thing. You have freedom of speech, press, and association. But management can understandably get upset if you use those freedoms to tell all and sundry that the competition makes a better product.

So, given the context of a potential lawsuit, this woman is wisely treading lightly. The rest of it is kinda gossipy. While it would be nice for her to tell everyone about how they done her wrong (if it even happened that way at all), she just plain can't.

You can be friends with her. I would highly recommend keeping non-lawsuit and non-job things out of your conversations, though. That's not for you to keep your job (management really can't police that, nor should they); it's more to make things more comfortable for this woman.

Or you can find other work.

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@jespah,

Jes thanks for that excellent profile
Why they so rare

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@jespah,

Jes thanks for that excellent profile
Why they so rare

Incidentally I've been torn apart for suggesting that a long, involved op like Lab's be broken into paras w/ carr ret 'tween; and mebbe one summary para for lazy bastards (me)

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@labradors,

You can do what you want, of course, and it is good that you are willing to think for yourself. However, this sentence tells me something:

Quote:

they [the company] didn't talk to her at all or ask questions, just fired her and told her to get an attorney.

That sentence seems to indicate that the company is going to sue this woman because they think they have proof she stole it and they plan to go after her for it in court. That's probably why they told her to get an attorney and didn't bother with any explanations she might offer. So if you decide to remain friends with this woman, I suggest that you be prepared for the possibility-not the certainty but the possibility-that she might actually have done it.

You mention that she has done many good and wonderful things for you and others over the years, and she has a very difficult medical problem with her daughter, so it sounds like you would want to be friends with her even if it turned out that she did it. That is fine. And maybe she didn't do it, but understand that it might turn out she did.

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Should I and all turn their backs on coworker

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