Employee Loss

What is employee theft?

Why does employee theft matter?

Who commits employee theft

Methods of employee theft

How do you prevent employee theft?

As the economic situation in the United States continues to worsen, countless citizens seem to struggle to get control over their debt. Incidents of employee theft and fraud are more common. The FBI calls employee theft “the fastest growing crime in America.” This disturbing trend has a major effect on small businesses. (Appelbaum, Cottin, Pare, & Shapiro, 2006, p. 275) As a member of management for over 15 years in various roles and organizations, it has been my experience that some employees take things from their jobs without permission but don’t consider it stealing because of the insignificant value of the item. For example, pencils, papers, paper clips, etc. And yet others are opportunist. They only steal when the opportunity arises and because it was accessible at the time. In other words, “I can take this and no one will ever know”. However, whether petty theft or a more serious offense, the bottom-line is taking personal property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. These things are not only unethical, but also unlawful and there are consequences that one suffers if caught. In this paper I will define and uncover what employee theft is, why does employee theft matter?, who commits employee theft, some methods of employee theft and how employee theft can be prevented from occurring in their companies.

What is employee theft? Webster’s Dictionary defines theft as, “the act of stealing; and the felonious taking and removing of personal property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2010). Assets are most important to employer’s as it is more than mere cash. The term employee theft refers to more than just a monetary value; it could be time, such as falsifying time keeping records, supplies (office supplies paper, pens,...