possible, but if they rat out, I rat out.

so the context is never relevant to you…

I know why your co-workers ratted you out.

kindly explain

this is an answer I didn’t expect to read in a channel like this. Treat them the same way they treat you.

I trust you.

The best case scenario would be that you and the entire staff stand up to HR and say that you were all led to believe this was permitted policy, and that if they’re going to declare retroactively that it isn’t, you all want a compensation raise because you considered this a job benefit.

ahahahaha, you sure are funny :D

your last paragraph is very true.

Throw others under the bus

well, this is what I did and no matter what I’m going to be the asshole:

to hr, because I stole.

to my coworkers, because as a reaction to one of them ratting on me, I ratted on them (without naming anyone, so I don’t know if that’s even ratting).

I simply don’t have good options here, but as posted, what I want to do is to learn for the next time.

Lie & Deny - Play dumb

so, claim I don’t recall?

Don’t rat on coworkers.

even when those coworkers rat on me? really?