Ethics of renting out an assigned workplace parking spot

Ethics of renting out an assigned workplace parking spot

I work in a downtown environment, and everyone in our company is assigned a parking spot in the lot. There are numerous lots that charge anywhere from 5 to 10 a day to park within blocks of my office. I dont use my spot because I ride the bus. The idea to rent out my parking spot popped into my head as I was walking by one of the 10-dollar-a-day lots; I figured that it would be over 300 a month if I let someone use my spot. I checked the company handbook and there is nothing in there about the assigned parking spots other than not to park in someone elses. Do you think this would be an ethical issue or otherwise problematic The parking spot wont ever be given to anyone else; it was included in the offer letter that I would have a free parking spot in this area because it is hard to find a place to park.

Unethical, unwise, and potentially a severe career limiting move. Assigned spots are not just for convenience, they are for security. The company, and perhaps the building as well, will want to know who is in that spot. If its not you, then theres going to be a problem. This is the equivalent of renting out a company laptop because you are not using it. Yes, really. It poses nearly the identical liability risks, and the same ethical ones. You would be misusing company property assigned to you and opening up the company to liability.

Let your boss know that you dont require your parking place. It can then be allocated to someone else in the business who would appreciate it for their own commute. Its really unlikely that youll be allowed to sub-let it for your own profit.

At a previous employer we could either have a reserved spot after 15 years it was in a garage, before that surface lot or we could choose to have the bus ticket subsidized. Couldnt do both. I your case I would have a discussion with your supervisor. Mention that you use mass transit. Ask about maybe partial reimbursement for your bus pass.

Ask your boss about what they think about this idea. The company owns the spot, so this is something they need to be okay with. If the thought of asking bothers you, you already have your answer.

A mild variation of the above comments Approach your boss or whomever is responsible for assigning parking to employees and ask them what they will give you if you voluntarily give up your spot. Possibilities nobody jump my case over this are any tickets to sporting events floating around, stuff in the Marketing closet, an extra vacation day, extra paid training, etc. Most companies wouldnt pay cash for it, but yours might. If it ends up being nothing, so be it. That makes it the companys decision and completely legitimate, avoiding any ethics issues. Also youre giving the company a little bit of flexibility which they will likely appreciate. Another possibility is to give your spot to an employee that does not get one. You can score major brownie points for this, especially if that employee has a genuine need for it such as a disability or are expecting. Or a major client.

You want to rent your space out. So obviously you dont need a parking space. So your company is paying out money for a parking space for you that you dont need. If you dont need the space, you tell your company so they can give it to someone else. You have no rights to the space except parking your car there. Since you have no right to rent the space, whoever rents it has no right to keep their car there, so they can be charged with trespassing, clamped, etc. If this gets found out, you can be sure to lose your parking space forever, but a worse outcome is not unlikely.

If this is something you want to do, and you feel comfortable enough asking, do ask. But dont ask your boss: while they might have an answer, the odds are your boss isnt the person who has the final say on this. Worst case is your boss says yes, you do it, but its actually not permitted, and you get in trouble anyway - your boss approving it doesnt necessarily make it okay for you they will also probably get in trouble, but not as much as you much of the time. Ask HR in writing. Theyre the ones who would represent the business itself, and can be treated as the final word, and asking and getting their permission will protect you if something goes south. Theyre also very very likely to say no, unless its officially permitted in documentation, but theyre the one to ask.

Theres nothing unethical about using a good in a way that is different from its intended use so long as it doesnt harm anyone. That being said, some bosses and companies are paranoid see the commentschat on the accepted answer and will not like you doing that. Its possible that your employment contract already has a provision which disallows you from letting someone else use the spot. In that case you should definitely not attempt to sublet it even if Im wrong in my next paragraph. It seems more likely that the contract is silent on whether or not you have sublet rights. In that case what do you have to gain You say the daily rate on spots is 5-10. Youre not going to get someone to pay you the max daily rate for everyday of the month so its nowhere near worth 300month. Where I used to park, the daily rate was about 5 and if you wanted a month long spot the charge was 50. Thats the price I pay to the lot itself not some guy who says its his spot. Maybe you could get half that from someone so really your max benefit is probably 25 for the month. While there is nothing unethical about you using a spot that is a part of you compensation package for a car that you dont own, it is not worth it. Its probably not worth your time to even find this someone and its not worth any potential hassle that it might cause either.