Charging your cell phone at work: Imprisonment for up to 5 years

Charging private cell phones at work is popular.

But in order to avoid bad consequences, you should pay attention to a few things.  

Munich - In order to save electricity at home in times of high energy costs, many employees charge their private mobile phones at work.

However, the savings costs are small, fully charging a battery costs less than one cent.

But even if the battery indicator on the device moves into the red area during working hours, it is tempting to charge the cell phone in the office.

Charging a private cell phone at work: without the employer's consent, this is a criminal offence

But is it even allowed to plug the charger of a private mobile phone into the socket in the office?

Basically, anyone who does this without first obtaining the employer's permission commits a criminal offence.

There is even a special section for this in the penal code with § 248c StGB.

The offence, legally known as “drawing electrical energy”, can be punished with imprisonment for up to five years or a fine.

Even the attempt is punishable by law.

However, the offense will only be prosecuted upon request.

It is therefore important to obtain the employer's permission before charging the mobile phone.

If this has been tacitly tolerated so far, you should ask to be on the safe side.

If an employer catches an employee charging his private cell phone without permission, he usually does not call the police immediately.

A termination without notice is not an option because of the low damage, but a warning is possible.

If the employee does not heed this warning and continues to use the sockets in the office for private purposes, the employer can terminate the contract for reasons of behavior.

Tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return

Tax tricks: How to save money on your tax return

Private electrical devices in the workplace: Regular checks by a qualified electrician are necessary

Incidentally, the situation is similar with other private electrical appliances such as fans, radios or coffee machines.

With these devices, however, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbschG) must also be observed.

Because employees must not be endangered at work and electrical devices usually represent a particular source of danger.

In order to avoid a hazard, every electrical device must be checked and checked for safety by a qualified electrician before it is put into operation and then regularly thereafter.

This applies not only to private devices, but also to devices provided by the company.

Rubric list image: © agefotostock/utah778/imago