Employee Theft- Who Pays?

Employee theft doesn’t really hurt anyone… Or does it?

How about the employer?  Losses of small items may not seem like much, but multiplied over time and by a number of employees, the losses add up to a lot in a hurry.  The employer must also devote resources to the prevention of theft in the workplace and the cost of an employee theft investigation when it occurs.

And then there are all the employees of the company who are victims of internal theft.  Losses to the company mean less profit, which means less money for payroll and benefits, as well as less money to invest back into the business, which increases workload and reduces productivity.  Employees may also lose trust in each other.

The customers and clients of the company who are forced to pay higher prices for goods and services because the company must recover part of its losses to employee theft in order to stay in business.

The thief is actually hurt the most.  Although the thief may think he or she is getting away with something, eventually he or she is bothered by conscience or fear of detection.  And, because chances are good that the thief will be caught in an employee theft investigation, other repercussions may be: loss of employment; embarrassment; damaged reputation; difficulty in finding employment; or criminal prosecution, which will result in a jail sentence, fines, and /or probation.

The least obvious, but still highly impacted victims of internal theft are all of us who pay taxes.  Public crime prevention programs, police officers, judges, prosecutors, jailers and other jail employees, court personnel, and probation officers, among many others, are paid for by tax revenue.  A portion of this enormous expense is caused by the workplace thief who goes to jail.

So what at first appears to be a harmless act can have huge implications both personally and to others.

Do your part to eliminate employee theft by not becoming a part of it, and acting on any suspicions of internal theft to stop it before it gets out of hand.

For more information on employee theft , employee theft investigation ,  or internal theft , contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia