They take everything from paper clips to computers. And some think there’s nothing wrong with it.
A survey by Spherion shows that 19% of those asked said they had stolen supplies from an employer, and only 22% of the thieves said the felt guilty or regretted the theft. The, uh, good news is that the rest who stole said they felt bad about it.
Better news (we think): The number of workers who have taken supplies for personal use hasn’t gone up since last year, and more feel bad about stealing than they did last year.
What they took — why they took it
When asked why they stole items from their employers, the thieves gave the following reasons:
- 42% “I needed them”
- 33% “The boss said it was OK”
- 18% “The company will never miss them”
Here’s what they took (note that the percentages equal more than 100 because some people apparently “needed” more than one type of item):
- 66% pencils, pens , rulers
- 57% paper, Post-it notes, file folders
- 11% calculators, staplers, tape dispensers
- 8% laptops, PDAs or cell phones
Also, male workers are more likely to have taken supplies – or at least admit to it — than their female counterparts, and the guys reported less guilt.