I’ve been a bit confused lately; I know that procurement staff take bribes, and now the supplier is suggesting that I do the same. What should I do?
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Recently, a new supplier approached me; they called and asked me to help them find a buyer, so I recommended someone for them, and now we are in business together. At the beginning of this month, during the Dragon Boat Festival, they wanted to send me a gift and asked where they should send it. Of course, I couldn’t accept it – there are rules in the company. Then they told me that the buyer had also accepted gifts. I said that wasn’t acceptable either. Last night they called again, saying I was too honest, that I had car and mortgage payments and was under a lot of pressure. I replied that most people these days are like that. They then asked me to be less strict regarding the requirements, suggesting that if I did that, they would give me 2% of the profit on each shipment, and they said they wouldn’t let anyone else know about it. Yesterday, my wife was also there. She said this was a good thing; as long as the standards were relaxed a bit, there wouldn’t be any quality issues. Given the current economic situation affected by the pandemic, why not take advantage of such a free benefit? To be honest, I was quite tempted—it would at least help alleviate some of the pressure. But deep down, I told myself I couldn’t do it; I feared that doing so would lead me down a slippery slope into trouble. I really have no idea whether I should refuse or accept it.
The original poster has a bachelor’s degree and has been working for 10 years; they are probably around 35 years old now. It’s not easy to stay true to one’s original intentions. Such is social reality: one must either walk with the light or remain untainted by the mud. It can be taken as long as it doesn’t violate the principles. It helps resolve financial issues at home and also improves relations between the two parties. Of course, the premise is that substandard products must not be passed off as good ones, and faking it is not allowed. We’re not civil servants; there’s no need to talk about some \"abyss\". All you need to provide is convenience – for example, allowing a few more days for delivery, and ensuring that the quality meets the required standards. The supplier is also worried about losing you as a customer, so there’s no need to worry too much. It's enough to have one's own limits and a bottom line. It’s just an unwritten social rule; it’s a characteristic of our national conditions. With so many experts on this forum, who dares to say they’ve never had alcohol or tobacco?
Those in procurement are like Muslims eating pork; it’s advisable to understand this thoroughly；
Procurement personnel receiving red envelopes is similar to the group leaders during this outbreak in Shanghai. Don’t talk about “serving the people”; it’s all about making money. There’s nothing shameful about that. It’s shameful of those who refuse to admit they are making money, or even profiting from a national crisis.
In previous work, I’ve also encountered such situations. Indeed, many suppliers include a certain percentage of sales commission (or “rebates”) in their pricing strategies. My approach is that if a supplier implies or explicitly states this, then, provided it doesn’t violate our procurement principles, I ask the supplier to reduce the price by that same percentage in their quote. This helps reduce costs for the company, while also not offending the supplier.
Twenty years ago, when I was the shift leader, one night asphalt had to be delivered. The operator on duty wasn’t there, so I stepped in to take over. The owner of the tanker truck came to me and asked if he could drain some of the liquid; he offered me 500 yuan in exchange. I refused several times, but in the end he forced the money into my pocket. With no other choice, I took the money he gave me, showed it to the camera, and reported the matter to the shift supervisor. In the end, the company fined the owner of that car 1,000 yuan and gave me 500 yuan as a reward. I became an outlier in that company; for some time, everyone looked at me strangely. I guess I also ruined many of my colleagues’ chances of making money, and eventually I left the company too. Am someone like me not suited for today’s society?