From interviews with employees and management, it was found that property theft represents a minority share of the more common manifestations of employee deviance -- slow or sloppy workmanship, sick-leave abuse, long coffee breaks, alcohol and drug use at work, and coming to work late and leaving early. In contrast to much of the literature, the authors found that both property theft and counterproductive behavior can best be explained by factors intrinsic, not extrinsic, to the work setting. Because dissatisfied employees are more often involved in property and production deviance, management should be sensitive to employees' attitudes and perceptions and to the organization's manner of addressing its behavioral standards. Integrating younger (or part-time) employees, who expressed more dissatisfaction and reported more deviance, into the company might be cost-effective in reducing theft and other forms of deviance. Since employees in general are more likely to steal if they do not perceive a chance of being detected, management should communicate a clear policy regarding theft to employees and should enforce it. Social controls, not physical ones, are in the long run the best deterrents. Tables, chapter notes, and an index are supplied.
Theft by Employees
NCJ Number
89084
Date Published
1983
Length
160 pages
Annotation
A survey of three industries -- retail, hospital, and electronics manufacturing -- reveals that, contrary to previous estimates, not everyone is stealing; only about one-third of the employees in these industries reported stealing property. Thus, increasing internal security measures seems inappropriate and may actually compound the problem.
Abstract