Dear J.T. & Dale: A fellow co-worker and I have been padding our expense accounts, and he got caught and fired, but I didn’t … yet. Should I look for a new job? — Marty

J.T.: Yes. And I hope you learned a lesson. This kind of thing often seems harmless to employees, rationalized with thoughts like, “For all the extra work I do for them without additional pay, I’m justified in getting a few extra dollars from them.” However, padding expense accounts is stealing, plain and simple.

Dale: OK, but Marty’s already looking over his shoulder, so let’s assume he’s feeling guilty enough.

J.T.: No, if he’s asking the question, he’s not sufficiently troubled. Let me tell you, Marty, how difficult it’s going to be for your co-worker to find a new job. Besides your firm not giving him a good reference, when prospective employers call to confirm his dates of employment, your company is within its legal rights to simply state that he is “not eligible for rehire.”

Dale: Ouch. Those are nasty words, because prospective employers are left to assume the worst, which means that many hiring managers will want nothing to do with you. At the least, you’ll be asked for an explanation and be grilled about it.

J.T.: At which point, it’s tempting to lie. However, most people aren’t good at lying, which means they are left with two choices: Tell the truth, and probably not get hired; or lie poorly, which the hiring manager will see through, and definitely not get hired.

Dale: The conclusion is that you don’t want to join your co-worker wearing the scarlet “NEFR,” the “not eligible for rehire” label, so get out there and start a job search.

J.T.: Yes, and assume that your company is smart enough to now want to do an audit to see if anyone else has been padding, so it could be just a matter of time before you are caught too. I’ve even heard of people who got caught for this sort of thing telling HR, letting them know which other employees are doing it so they don’t feel like the only one suffering. Again, I’d start looking ASAP.