Employee Theft Research Paper
Alana S. Pickett
Grand Canyon University
Psychology 830
Principles of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
August 19, 2013
As companies continue to grow and profit, employees are seizing opportunities to gain profit as well. Every industry is being impacted by employee theft. Although there is statistical data that provides a multitude of motivating factors why an employee will commit theft, no one really knows the mindset of the employee. Ingram (1994) stated that “most employees see stealing as an unofficial compensation and a justifiable pay back for what is viewed as employer greed.” However, there is no one factor more significant than the other as to why an employee you trust would come to work, do the job given, then steal …show more content…
There is no reason to believe your employees are thieves without substantial evidence. However, an employee can perceive theft as acceptable behavior based on management’s attitude about it. According to Holt (1993), “declining morals and ethical standards of the younger generation, as well as, a reduced commitment to conformity and a reduced fear of social consequences for their behavior has influenced employee theft.” In this instance, whether Taylor is a conscientious employee in all areas or not, theft should not be tolerated and consequences should always occur. Most employees think that by appearing to be hardworking and honest, this provides them with a false perception that they can steal from the company over a long period of time without getting caught. Although this employee didn’t have an immediate need to beat the system, he saw an opportunity for his own personal use and took it. The first obvious discipline would be to terminate Taylor. It does not matter the length of time or his unblemished records, the reality is this employee exhibited dishonest behavior which has caused the company a loss. The value stolen on a daily basis may have been minimal but as time progresses; it turned into a greater monetary value. Therefore, Taylor would be immediately dismissed from his duties with the company. When dealing with employee theft, it is important to be consistent in the punishment (Holt, 1993). It really doesn’t matter what type of punishment, whether it’s immediate dismissal, prosecution, restitution or any combination thereof. As management, there must be consistent action across the board to send the message that management will not tolerate
Grand Canyon University
Psychology 830
Principles of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
August 19, 2013
As companies continue to grow and profit, employees are seizing opportunities to gain profit as well. Every industry is being impacted by employee theft. Although there is statistical data that provides a multitude of motivating factors why an employee will commit theft, no one really knows the mindset of the employee. Ingram (1994) stated that “most employees see stealing as an unofficial compensation and a justifiable pay back for what is viewed as employer greed.” However, there is no one factor more significant than the other as to why an employee you trust would come to work, do the job given, then steal …show more content…
There is no reason to believe your employees are thieves without substantial evidence. However, an employee can perceive theft as acceptable behavior based on management’s attitude about it. According to Holt (1993), “declining morals and ethical standards of the younger generation, as well as, a reduced commitment to conformity and a reduced fear of social consequences for their behavior has influenced employee theft.” In this instance, whether Taylor is a conscientious employee in all areas or not, theft should not be tolerated and consequences should always occur. Most employees think that by appearing to be hardworking and honest, this provides them with a false perception that they can steal from the company over a long period of time without getting caught. Although this employee didn’t have an immediate need to beat the system, he saw an opportunity for his own personal use and took it. The first obvious discipline would be to terminate Taylor. It does not matter the length of time or his unblemished records, the reality is this employee exhibited dishonest behavior which has caused the company a loss. The value stolen on a daily basis may have been minimal but as time progresses; it turned into a greater monetary value. Therefore, Taylor would be immediately dismissed from his duties with the company. When dealing with employee theft, it is important to be consistent in the punishment (Holt, 1993). It really doesn’t matter what type of punishment, whether it’s immediate dismissal, prosecution, restitution or any combination thereof. As management, there must be consistent action across the board to send the message that management will not tolerate