Every year in the U.S. people who consider themselves “honest” steal millions of dollars in goods and services from their employers. In most cases, employees don’t think twice about taking small items like Post-It Notes™ or pens. But taking unauthorized items is the same as stealing and lowers a company’s profits.
Most workplace dishonesty occurs when employees lie, steal, or behave in other unethical ways. One student was fired from her part-time job when she rang up one pair of jeans for her boyfriend, but bagged two pairs for him. Look at the following workplaces and click an “X” if an employee who takes the item for personal use would be stealing and an “O” if the employee would not be stealing.