Case report on employee theft – stealing time

Employee theft is often thought of as merchandise or cash theft, have you considered stealing time as employee theft ?

Store loss prevention personnel found night shift employees were stealing time from a company by taking long breaks.  The company had a policy on stealing time which resulted in the suspension and subsequent firing of eight employees.  Three of the employees claimed they were fired because of race stating a violation of Title VII and 1981 (civil rights act of 1964).

The federal district court found the evidence clearly showed all employees caught sleeping on the job or taking longer than permitted breaks were treated equally regardless of race or age.

What is your company policy on stealing time?  Does it outline it at all?  Ever Considered stealing time as employee theft or employee fraud ? Many readers of this article who own or manage a small  to mid sized business are falling into one of two categories.  First, they have no loos prevention policies and procedures, which is where the time stealing policy would be listed.  Second, those who have written policies are taking notes to be sure and add that to their list.  Those who actually define stealing time in their policies are ahead of the crowd, but is it being enforced? Stealing time may be one of the most common forms of employee theft and most overlooked.

If you need help solving tough issues with employees or want more info visit employee theft.