Stealing in the Workplace
Blu Silberhorn
Issue Paper
Case Studies in Ethics and Law
November, 08 2009
Is stealing becoming more acceptable in the workplace? Generally, when people think of stealing or theft they are referring to the act of physically taking property from someone else. In reality there are many different ways that an employee can steal from an organization, and I have seen three different ways in my short career. The basic definition of theft is the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another, and this is one way in which people can take away from an organization. The most common way for people to steal from an organization is theft of time, and this includes; taking extra time on breaks and lunches, using work time for personal matters, and simply wasting time while at work. The last type of theft that I have seen in the workplace is fraudulently changing time sheets and expense reports. Many people have been involved in one of the three of these unethical practices and statistics show an increase in theft incidences.
A new study says you may be working in a den of thieves. An overwhelming 79 percent of workers admit they have or would consider stealing from their employers, according to a survey released last week by forensic accounting firm Michael G. Kessler & Associates. And the loot is far more sophisticated than mere pens and paper clips (Jacoby, 1999).
It may not be right but at some point in time some of these actions have become acceptable. Throughout this essay I will tell you why people steal, and I will be giving three different examples of theft that I have encountered in my life. For each experience I will give you some background information about the unethical behavior, I will tell you whether I think the action(s) where right or wrong, I will explain how the situation was handled and the outcome, and lastly I will show some research that will help me reach a conclusion to the issue.
Issue Paper
Case Studies in Ethics and Law
November, 08 2009
Is stealing becoming more acceptable in the workplace? Generally, when people think of stealing or theft they are referring to the act of physically taking property from someone else. In reality there are many different ways that an employee can steal from an organization, and I have seen three different ways in my short career. The basic definition of theft is the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another, and this is one way in which people can take away from an organization. The most common way for people to steal from an organization is theft of time, and this includes; taking extra time on breaks and lunches, using work time for personal matters, and simply wasting time while at work. The last type of theft that I have seen in the workplace is fraudulently changing time sheets and expense reports. Many people have been involved in one of the three of these unethical practices and statistics show an increase in theft incidences.
A new study says you may be working in a den of thieves. An overwhelming 79 percent of workers admit they have or would consider stealing from their employers, according to a survey released last week by forensic accounting firm Michael G. Kessler & Associates. And the loot is far more sophisticated than mere pens and paper clips (Jacoby, 1999).
It may not be right but at some point in time some of these actions have become acceptable. Throughout this essay I will tell you why people steal, and I will be giving three different examples of theft that I have encountered in my life. For each experience I will give you some background information about the unethical behavior, I will tell you whether I think the action(s) where right or wrong, I will explain how the situation was handled and the outcome, and lastly I will show some research that will help me reach a conclusion to the issue.
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