How to Stop Employee Theft (and Return What They Stole!)

Cissy Pau was invited onto The Simi Sara Show on CKNW AM 980 to discuss the topic of employee theft in the workplace. The host, Simi Sara, had received a beautiful bouquet of flowers at work, and after the flowers had died, had put the lovely empty vase on her desk with the intention of bringing it home. When she came to work the following day, the vase was no longer on her desk.

Unfortunately, theft in the workplace is a very common occurrence, and can range from the obvious (e.g. wallets, purses, cash, jewellery, company tools, etc.) to the mundane (e.g. food in the fridge, office stationery, coffee mugs etc.) to the bizarre (e.g. drinking someone’s juice and refilling the container with water, not returning a company truck thinking no one would notice, etc.).

What are some of the reasons why theft occurs in the workplace? Here are some potential causes:

Disgruntled and disengaged employees
Interpersonal conflict between people
Practical jokes, which may be considered bullying / harassment
Employees not feeling like they’re being treated fairly so they want to get “even” with the company and get their fair share
Stupidity
Thrill & competition amongst staff

If there is a problem with employee theft in your workplace, whether it be theft of employee property or company property, what can you do about it? Here are 8 tips:

Have an anti-theft policy with clear & consistently applied consequences.
Screen both employees and external service providers (e.g. IT company, caterers, cleaning staff, photocopier repair personnel, etc.) before hiring by conducting reference checks and criminal record checks.
Assess when theft is happening (e.g. during work, after hours, weekends, etc.) and determine who has access to the workplace during this time.
Implement processes to limit unauthorized access to office (e.g. key fobs, security cards, visitors sign-in/sign-out procedures, etc.).
Encourage staff to leave valuables at home, and to lock up anything important when at the office. Keep wallets & purses with you.
Implement video surveillance ensuring that your process complies with privacy legislation (e.g. let employees know, make sure there’s not a less intrusive method, etc.).
“Kill the thrill” by offering a library system to “check-out” company tools & equipment, as well as have an amnesty day to return anything that was taken without permission.
If a theft occurs, conduct an investigation. If you can prove who is responsible, determine the appropriate discipline by taking into account the nature of the theft and the impact on staff.

Theft in the workplace can be very upsetting and is one of the most challenging employee relations matters to navigate. If you’re experiencing employee theft, consider discussing the matter with a human resources expert. As a postscript, we’re happy to report that Simi Sara was reunited with her vase.