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Sticky Fingers at Work

Several times, Spherion has conducted surveys of workers who have taken office supplies home with them for personal use, even though they felt it was wrong. But what about when you work for a retailer or manufacturer, and co-workers are stealing from your employer? You know it's wrong, they know it's wrong....do you say something?

This presents an interesting situation. On one hand, if you know co-workers are stealing from your employer and you don't report it, you might as well be stealing too, but if you do report it, you will prove to be a loyal employee looking out for the company.

My best advice is that you should absolutely report the theft, and an article I found from ehow.com lists the steps you should take to do so.

Step One: Tell a security guard or loss prevention officer if your workplace has a shoplifter, allowing a member of the security team to handle the situation.

Step Two: Report the suspected shoplifting to a supervisor. Pointing out the situation to a supervisor is another way of doing your part without getting involved in an investigation.

Step Three: Send an anonymous letter to your place of employment if you want to limit your involvement in the investigation. Detail your suspicions in the letter and mail it to your supervisor or the head of workplace security.

Step Four: Call your company's hotline, if it provides one. Many businesses, especially large chains, have a hotline you can call to report coworker theft.

Step Five: Know your rights as an employee and what you do and do not have to report. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention is a good resource for learning about shoplifting prevention strategies in the workplace.

For some, it may be too tempting to not take from an employer, but the bottom line is that it's wrong and illegal, so make sure you aren't drawn into the habit as well. And remember, if you are aware it's going on and don't report it, you are just guilty!