Throw away account
Story
So I work within aviation where I managed aircraft maintenance and I lead a team of mechanic and avionics technicians. They’re all good people but as with any workplace of this nature there’s usually pretty crude joking and rumours going around. One such rumour was that someone had been masturbating during night shift in the aircraft cockpits(FYI that’s not why we call it that).
During last week’s night shift myself and a junior technician were heading out an aircraft to carry out some scheduled maintenance that required access to said cockpit(spoiler alert). And what do you know we find someone in the co-pilot seat mid act with there phone out watching some pretty graphic stuff.
He shoots up does up his trousers and tries to laugh it off with us but his attitude quickly changes when he realise I was not impressed. The junior tech got pretty flustered by this so she decided to just leave which is fair enough.
After coming up with an excuse about how he thought he had enough time and how he was overdue a break he asks me.
“Are you going to fire me”
I said “no but I’m going to watch you clean this entire cockpit”
To which he replied he didn’t “get any on the aircraft” and was “super careful”
I gave him a blank stare
He, realising he has no choice fetches rags, wet wipes along with a bin bag
For the next half hour I watch him disinfect and while down everything. Once he was finished I told him that he was dismissed for the evening and that I would be pushing the sight lead to fire him(I don’t have the power to fire a direct subordinate). I only told him I wouldn’t t get him fired as I knew he wouldn’t clean up after himself if I had. He was furious and ultimately had to be escorted off site by security.
That evening I briefed the sight lead and he has subsequently been fired.
There been some discussion on site as to whether or not I was out of line telling him he wasn’t fired to get him to clean the cockpit even though that was a lie.
In my defence:
No one should have to clean up that! He should clean up his own mess. Also if he had any brains he should have realised he was fired regardless.
Also masturbating in a cockpit where both male and female staff have to work regularly is abhorrent behaviour and he deserves no sympathy.
My wife is on my side and my site lead but some people at work are saying that I should have been straight with him from the start.
So AITAH, I feel like I’m kind of being gaslight about this at work.
Comments
Ntah. Thats so foul. Editing to add yea maybe could have been straight forward from the jump but tbh I wouldn’t have because I would just want to get out of that situation asap lol
NTA. It was the best way to ensure the area was disinfected by the perpetrator
You didn’t have the power to fire him anyway, it was up to your supervisor
He fucking deserved to be fired. Ewwwwwwwwwww.
NTA. That guy was never working there ever again anyways once people find out.
Fake and dumb
Honestly, NTA from my view. I see where everyone is coming from. I DOES come off as harsh and kind of out of line, all those things said. But you’re also *very* right in saying, “No one should have to clean up that! He should clean up his own mess.” So yes i agree with you
Yeah, i’d be f’ing pissed if i had to clean up someone elses bodily fluid mess even with proper tools to separate and keep myself clean. Letting him walk away from that without cleaning it would’ve meant someone else had to. That’s punishing the team for his disgusting behavior. He lost the right to honesty all that integrity when he chose to treat a multiMILLION dollar (maybe more??) piece of equipment like his bedroom. He didn’t just stumble in there and accidentally start jackin it
Great mix of chat GPT and your own words. Almost believed this one
NTA
You did what you needed to do in order to ensure that the cockpit was appropriately cleaned.
His behaviour was utterly unacceptable, particularly because he was in a space where colleagues could (and did) encounter him. Perhaps if he’d used his breaktimes to do the same thing in the privacy of staff toilets it might just about be allowed to pass.
I cannot even imagine how your female colleague felt to witness that and it may also be worth asking if she needs any further support to handle this?
He asked him if you were going to fire him. You said no. And you didn’t fire him. Someone else did. Seems pretty cut and dry.
NTA
I used to wank in the toilet at work literally every single day. They were disabled-style toilets so it was totally private
That was a very boring job
NTA for what you said to the guy who was fired. However, “some people at work are saying that I should have been straight with him from the start.” Were you talking about this situation with coworkers other than the site supervisor? If so, YTA for not being discreet about a personnel issue.
Obviously this guy was untrustworthy, so you did what you had to to get him to clean up after himself. I agree that behavior was abhorrent. NTA
Riddle me this… Why would someone think it’s okay to sully their workplace like that? NTA
Technically, YOU didn’t fire him. You didn’t have the authority.
He didn’t ask “am I going to be fired”. He asked if YOU were…
NTA
Why would you, afterwards, tell him that,he’s, you would push to fire him? All that does is escalate the situation. You’re lucky he didn’t rage on you since he had nothing to lose at that point. You could’ve said nothing after dismissing him, and the end result would’ve been the same, without the risk of anything else happening.
Maybe it’s a fake story. If so, YTA
You’re definitely an asshole. you could have just told him you were gonna call the police if he didn’t clean it up for indecent exposure he didn’t have to fucking lie to him. You’re a little bit more than an asshole. The guy who was jerking off his fucking gross, but you’re the worst type of person you fucking Muppet
You didn’t have to give him an answer. And if you did say you wouldn’t fire him, you didn’t have to tell him you changed your mind. You could have just said you would talk to his supervisor and the ultimate decision was his.
The takeaway from this episode is that you should not lock yourself into a decision if not necessary. If you say things just to make people do what you want, that is manipulative and it a bad character trait. People who hear what you did, your wife and coworkers will be less trusting of you and your promises.
Nta anyone saying otherwise is a cockpit cranker
Yes, dude. That was incredibly unethical. You should have just cleaned the flight deck yourself.
Should’ve worded it as “IM not gonna fire you if you clean this cockpit.” Technically you didn’t lie, but this makes it more clear.
NTA. Ask those who think you were out of line if they would have volunteered to clean up the masturbation station, sorry, cockpit.
NTA
He asked if you were going to fire him, you didn’t lie when you said no because it’s not within your power to fire him anyway. He didn’t ask you not to report him. You didn’t mislead him or get him to do something unethical. He should have cleaned up his biohazard.
He was 100% in the wrong and deserved to be fired. The people at work who disagree with you need to be kept a close eye on. This guy might not be the only mystery masturbator on staff.
They are lucky you didn’t call the police.
So you are NTA for firing him… But you ATAH for saying you wouldn’t.
IMO, the proper answer would have been “I have to consult the employee conduct policy and my boss before such a decision can be made. However, I can tell you for certain, if you don’t sanitize this entire cockpit like I, your boss, am directing you to, you will absolutely be fired for dereliction of duty and misconduct in refusing to follow proper direction.”
Long story short, you lied. Dishonesty is bad business. You could have achieved the same end result without compromising your integrity.
As for the wanker… It sounds like not only did you (I assume a male) see him mid-act, which is bad enough… but also a female who was with you caught an eyeful as well. My intuition is immediately sending him home with notice that you are initiating termination proceedings; with a female having also seen this, there is a TON of risk in not sending him home immediately.
As for the cockpit not being sanitized because you sent him home… Let’s be honest, we know a solid 30% or more of men are dirty fucks who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. That cockpit was already COVERED in dick germs.
NTA – he should have cleaned up after himself as you asked him to. Though you could have handled it differently. I wouldn’t have told him you knew you were going to fire him when you asked him to clean. I just would have said you were going to talk with the Site Lead and be done with it.
You are NOT the ass hole.
I worked on aircraft in the USAF for 8 years.
Jet Engine Mechanic.
Part of my job was that I would do ground maintenance runs of the jets.
F-4 and F-16s.
If I had to run a jet and I found even a trace of spunk, I would have lost it.
If I walked into a situation where somebody was in the act of beating the shit out of their monkey I would totally lose it.
You did exactly what I would have.
ESH. He’s a wanker, you’re a liar.
NTA!!!!!! That sick bastard was making off on the job, where other people have to work and a junior technician and their supervisor had to witness it.
You don’t have the power to fire someone so technically you were correct, you’re not going to fire him someone else will.
NTA
I would be suspicious of anyone who is calling you an asshole for this.
NTA. and he’s also lucky you or female coworker who witnessed this didn’t file charges for what you both saw
I bet op gets pegged by his wife while his mom watches and tells stories of how he was the best hall monitor in jr high
I agree with you OP, your former coworker engaged in abhorrent behaviour and he deserves no sympathy.
NTA
NTA. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. And you KNOW part of him doing this was getting off on the idea that other people were working with and touching “his mess”.
He took a gamble and lost.
NTA
Fucking gross.
In my first commercial banking role a VP came in while I was taking a crap and started jerking off and muttering another VPs name.
There was no way I was leaving that stall until he left.
At least he did it in the urinal.
What a jerk!
Nice of you to watch until he finished (fake).
NTA. While I have actively performed… self-soothing throughout my life… for the life of my, I don’t understand people who would do that at work. Show an ounce of self-restraint, no?
Anyone who says that you shouldn’t have lied you should simply ask: “so, i guess you are volunteering to clean it up next time it happens, right? I’ll add you to the list.”
In the future if someone asks “are you going to fire me “just reply “clean this up immediately” and walk away. After it’s cleaned fire them.
He asked “Are you going to fire me?” You answered no, because you don’t have the authority to do so. You never said you wouldn’t report him. You didn’t lie. You didn’t even deceive.
I get it but you made a mistake imo. The other guys now know you are not trustworthy.
You told him YOU wouldn’t fire him.
You didn’t have the authority to fire him so somebody else did. You kept your promise as you weren’t the one to fire him.
How could anyone possibly expect to get away with viewing pornography on company property while jerking off, where any unsuspecting coworkers (male or female) could walk in at any moment?
It’s considered sexual harassment to make a pass at a coworker. It is considered harassment to jerk off in front of a coworker. If he wasn’t doing it in a locked area, he fully accepted he could end up jerking off in front of a coworker and he did it anyway. Neither of you wanted to see his dick and balls.
NTA.
NTA. “I’m not going to fire you” does not equal “you’re not going to be fired for this.” You did not in fact fire him, you don’t even have the power to fire him.
NTA. You didn’t lie. And also I wouldn’t even care if you did, that mf is gross and inappropriate and a pervert he deserves everything he got and more!!! Everyone saying you did anything wrong is stupid.
You told him YOU weren’t going to fire him (not a lie) or that he Wouldn’t be fired (kind of a lie – you just reported catching him)? Probably should have told him he might get disciplined but if he didn’t clean up the mess the chances of him getting fired were much higher. At least he got fired, though.
While masturbating at work, he exposed himself to someone. Just being fired sounds like a win tbh.. NTA