If an employee is negligent, he is liable for the resulting loss
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Fatwa number ( 20426 )
Q: You know, may Allah preserve you, that this company employs a large number of employees, and these employees act on its behalf to receive, count, and deliver money to its owners, among other banking transactions. Due to the critical nature of the work performed by a bank employee, we resort to selecting those in whom we perceive competence and trustworthiness, and we train them for a sufficient period on banking operations, and we give them written and specific instructions to help them perform their work
to the best of their ability. It happens that among the employees there is one who is negligent and does not adhere to the instructions issued by the company, thereby causing the disbursement of an amount that the company loses. One example of this situation is: when a teller is presented with a check for cashing, there are steps that must be completed before the disbursement, such as verifying the customer's identity, or verifying that the balance is sufficient for the amount being withdrawn, and so on. It happens that the employee does not request an identification card and disburses the funds, and then it becomes clear that the check was forged, resulting in the company losing the amount of the check. The question is: Is it permissible to exempt that employee from liability for his negligence, which resulted in a loss to the company's shareholders, in this case and similar cases? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you, and may Allah prolong your life, O your Eminence, and bless us in it; He is the best of those responsible.
A: It is not permissible to exempt the employee who was lax in performing his work and did not implement the instructions he had, rather he must be held accountable for this, and he must be required to pay back the company's money that he lost through his negligence.
Q: You know, may Allah preserve you, that this company employs a large number of employees, and these employees act on its behalf to receive, count, and deliver money to its owners, among other banking transactions. Due to the critical nature of the work performed by a bank employee, we resort to selecting those in whom we perceive competence and trustworthiness, and we train them for a sufficient period on banking operations, and we give them written and specific instructions to help them perform their work
to the best of their ability. It happens that among the employees there is one who is negligent and does not adhere to the instructions issued by the company, thereby causing the disbursement of an amount that the company loses. One example of this situation is: when a teller is presented with a check for cashing, there are steps that must be completed before the disbursement, such as verifying the customer's identity, or verifying that the balance is sufficient for the amount being withdrawn, and so on. It happens that the employee does not request an identification card and disburses the funds, and then it becomes clear that the check was forged, resulting in the company losing the amount of the check. The question is: Is it permissible to exempt that employee from liability for his negligence, which resulted in a loss to the company's shareholders, in this case and similar cases? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you, and may Allah prolong your life, O your Eminence, and bless us in it; He is the best of those responsible.
A: It is not permissible to exempt the employee who was lax in performing his work and did not implement the instructions he had, rather he must be held accountable for this, and he must be required to pay back the company's money that he lost through his negligence.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.