Facility Manager Mock Interview
Master 35 Facility Manager interview questions covering operations, budgets, compliance, and emergency response.
Question 5 of 35
If you caught one of your maintenance workers stealing or sleeping on the job, what would you do? What would you do even if they were your best maintenance worker?
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Ronda Barnes is an HR professional with over 10 years of experience in career development and strategic staffing. She has a master’s degree in Human Resource Development and a graduate certificate in Online Learning and Teaching.
"I would immediately have a conversation with the employee. Even though they might be my best worker, I would handle the situation in accordance with our company policy."
Ronda Barnes is an HR professional with over 10 years of experience in career development and strategic staffing. She has a master’s degree in Human Resource Development and a graduate certificate in Online Learning and Teaching.
Sleeping and stealing on the job is a violation of the company policy. The interviewer wants to know how you would handle an employee who was breaking the rules. Assure the interviewer that you understand the severity of the incident and that you would handle it according to the company policy, even if it was your best worker.
Ronda Barnes is an HR professional with over 10 years of experience in career development and strategic staffing. She has a master’s degree in Human Resource Development and a graduate certificate in Online Learning and Teaching.
"Neither stealing nor sleeping should ever be tolerated on the job, and I would address both issues immediately. The employee might be my best worker, but I would still have to handle the situation according to the company's policy, even if that means termination."
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Anonymous Answer
Both are unfortunate circumstances for any employee or employer and would require an immediate conversation with the employee. I would hope that there is a company policy regarding both that I would be able to follow.
Stephanie's Feedback
This is a great start, but I suggest adding a few additional details so the interviewer is clear on how you would handle this situation. You mention having an immediate conversation with the employee. What would you cover in this conversation Would there be a written warning?
Anonymous Answer
Neither of the situations is acceptable, but I would always give the opportunity for the employee to defend themselves and tell their side of the story. For example, I had a member of the staff stealing toilet rolls, coffee, and tea from the office. She didn't deny anything and said she struggled with money to buy the basics at home. I offered immediate support and help, put her in contact with our financial advisor, and raised the CEO's issue, which showed a willingness to help. Of course, I emphasized we have a zero policy for theft and if it would happen again, we would have to follow the disciplinary policy that could potentially end in dismissing her. This situation made us think about our workplace culture where staff has to steal rather than approach a colleague or a manager for help. This thinking took us on the path to building a more psychologically safe work environment and offering our staff financial resilience training.
Amanda's Feedback
Well done! When you have handled a similar situation it's a great idea to share that experience when answering a behavioral question like this. Your answer highlights your ability to remain calm, see all sides of the situation, and work to resolve not only the theft but get to the root cause of the problem. Consider enhancing this answer even further by sharing how it ultimately worked out. Did the stealing end? Was this staff member able to remain employed? Wrapping your answer up with a positive outcome helps show the interviewer that your method of handling the situation works.
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