DO YOU sometimes indulge in pocketing a few pens lying on your desk? Does the writing pad invariably find its way to your home? Are your coffee breaks always exceeding the allotted time? Welcome to the burgeoning throng of workplace thieves!
Most employees consider themselves a paragon of virtues - loyal, hard working and honest. How honest is the million-dollar question! Look closely in the mirror.
Is a petty thief staring back at you? The answer is more often an aye than a nay.
Yes, even minor pilfering from the office amounts to stealing. `Stealing' of this kind is the norm, not the exception at workplaces.
Many of us find our fingers itching to lay hands on the floppies, CDs or even papers and folders lying around.
Nobody thinks twice before making copies or sending personal faxes on the company machines. The office printer ribbon eventually finds its use at ... home! The supply closet often becomes the personal cookie jar of all and sundry!
We commit `theft of time' too! Many of us spend our work hours napping or doodling, or worse still, gossiping at the expense of the company's time!
Online shopping, playing Internet games and chatting while apparently working are ubiquitous chores when in office.
Lying about the actual time you work is essentially theft of company time. All the minutes you waste add up to a mind-boggling number of hours every month!
As per a survey, one out of every three employees steals from workplaces. A study in US by Michael Kessler and Associates reveals that an overwhelming 79% of workers have either stolen or thought about stealing.
`Taking office supplies' accounts for 41% of workplace fraud while one out of every three companies goes bankrupt, partly due to employee theft. Pretty much astounding and damning!
But why?
Honesty often gets a short shrift at workplaces and the lax control on the part of the management is like an open invitation to pilfer. `No one will miss this or know what happened' is the way an employee thinks.
If any stuff is lying around, it is asking to be stolen is the mind-set. Sometimes these minor offences are due to vindictiveness - to get even with the boss!
Most employers turn a blind eye to such trivial matters. However, the situation can snowball if left unchecked.
Getting away with petty thefts boosts one's confidence to move on to bigger things like embezzlement.
Before picking up those office supplies again, pause to consider the ramifications if you are caught. All the hard work and toil will go down the drain as you bid goodbye to your job.
Add to that the blot on your character certificate. All this for a measly pen or an hour's extra pay! Is it really worth it? Hey, do you really need that post-it so badly?
Most employees consider themselves a paragon of virtues - loyal, hard working and honest. How honest is the million-dollar question! Look closely in the mirror.
Is a petty thief staring back at you? The answer is more often an aye than a nay.
Yes, even minor pilfering from the office amounts to stealing. `Stealing' of this kind is the norm, not the exception at workplaces.
Many of us find our fingers itching to lay hands on the floppies, CDs or even papers and folders lying around.
Nobody thinks twice before making copies or sending personal faxes on the company machines. The office printer ribbon eventually finds its use at ... home! The supply closet often becomes the personal cookie jar of all and sundry!
We commit `theft of time' too! Many of us spend our work hours napping or doodling, or worse still, gossiping at the expense of the company's time!
Online shopping, playing Internet games and chatting while apparently working are ubiquitous chores when in office.
Lying about the actual time you work is essentially theft of company time. All the minutes you waste add up to a mind-boggling number of hours every month!
As per a survey, one out of every three employees steals from workplaces. A study in US by Michael Kessler and Associates reveals that an overwhelming 79% of workers have either stolen or thought about stealing.
`Taking office supplies' accounts for 41% of workplace fraud while one out of every three companies goes bankrupt, partly due to employee theft. Pretty much astounding and damning!
But why?
Honesty often gets a short shrift at workplaces and the lax control on the part of the management is like an open invitation to pilfer. `No one will miss this or know what happened' is the way an employee thinks.
If any stuff is lying around, it is asking to be stolen is the mind-set. Sometimes these minor offences are due to vindictiveness - to get even with the boss!
Most employers turn a blind eye to such trivial matters. However, the situation can snowball if left unchecked.
Getting away with petty thefts boosts one's confidence to move on to bigger things like embezzlement.
Before picking up those office supplies again, pause to consider the ramifications if you are caught. All the hard work and toil will go down the drain as you bid goodbye to your job.
Add to that the blot on your character certificate. All this for a measly pen or an hour's extra pay! Is it really worth it? Hey, do you really need that post-it so badly?
PAYAL AGARWAL
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