I found this little story on the internets enlightening:
Have you ever personally cheated in an "honor system" knowing that you wouldn't get caught, or witnessed someone else violating said "honor system?"We used to have someone who would buy cans of Coke bulk and keep them in the fridge, selling them and donating the proceeds to charity. It relied on the honor system to leave money for them, but over time, the money wasn’t matching the missing cans… by a significant margin.
People started to get into heated arguments about it, with accusations flying left and right and emails questioning “What kind of people work here?!”
Finally, after much discussion, a webcam was set up to keep an eye on it. Many thought it signaled the end of our company culture and an absolute loss of faith in who we thought were our friends and coworkers.
The next day we fired the cleaners for stealing the money and drinking the coke.
My own story: On trips, we'd fill coolers to the brink with ice and soda as a fundraiser for our group. Some would watch the cooler like hawks, others would put it in elsewhere in the bus and have an "honor system," that you just pay for your drink when you take one.
Guess which buses' coolers were missing the most soda and had the least money by the time the trip was over.
I don't think it's economics --- sodas are fairly cheap. I think it's all about opportunity and the lack of fear in getting caught.
Originally Posted by Viking Kitten
