Ethics-_Office_Supply_Theft

The word ethics means a set of principles of right conduct; a theory or a system of moral values. Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. In any society, most people accept standards that are, in fact, ethical. But standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is ethical. An entire society can become ethically corrupt. Nazi Germany is a good example of a morally corrupt society. The word theft means the act of stealing; the felonious taking and removing of personal property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner; the unlawful taking of property. Within the office people are constantly using pens, legal pads, and self-adhesive pads that are supplied by their company and sometimes knowingly take these supplies home. If a person knows they are taking from the office they are considered to be stealing because the intent aspect is clearly present. Some companies will terminate their employees if caught “stealing” office supplies because it displays dishonesty and distrust to the company, thus “bringing down moral”. Some people think if theft is expected within the company then they need to reconsider a new Human Resources Department because it gives off the impression of shrugging ones shoulders and saying, “I expected that.” On the other hand some companies would rather their employees focus on their work and expect some amount of supplies to leave for non-work purposes. However if they start seeing the supplies budget increasing because of these types of things then they will make it someone’sproblem. In some cases people rationalize their theft with the idea of not getting a promotion or a raise they think they deserve; in their mind, they really did not steal. Ethically, statistics in the office, regarding supplies taken home,may shock some people. Nineteen percent of workers admit that they have taken office supplies for personal use in the past year, according to a recent survey by staffing firm Spherion. Of those who admitted to taking office supplies for personal use, 21 percent said they felt guilty or regretted the act. In 2006, a similar Spherion survey found that 18 percent of workers reported they had taken office supplies for personal use. Workers said the primary reason office supplies were taken for personal use was because they needed them (41 percent). Nearly one-third (32 percent) said it was because their boss/office manager said it was all right to do so, and 15 percent claimed the company will never miss the supplies. The most common types of items taken by workers were pens, pencils, or rulers (25 percent). The second most common items were paper, post-its, or file folders (19 percent). Workers earning more than $75,000 annually were the most likely to have taken office supplies for personal use. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of these workers admitted to taking office supplies compared to only 11 percent of workers earning $15,000 to $34,999 annually. Of the age groups surveyed, younger workers (25 percent between the ages of 18-24 and 29 percent between 25 and 29 years old) were the most likely to have taken office supplies for personal use, while workers aged 65 and older were the least likely (9 percent) to have taken such items for personal use. (http://hr.blr.com/news.aspx'id=76073) A company may wonder what they can do in response to office supply “theft”. Depending on the nature of the company, it may choose to consider the following possibilities. First, lock up the supplies and issue only as needed. Doing this will stop the crime but also cause inefficiency in the workplaceand a sense of distrust among employees. Another option would be to tell all employees that supplies are strictly for office use. This will solve the immediate problem but may cause for more problems and will more than likely be tested among employees. Most people would listen but not follow. Another option to controlling office supply theft would be to report any theft to the head of security. This would probably be considered overkill but really depends on the business and how the rules of that business are communicated to its employees. The best and most likely followed solution would be to send a notice to all employees that office supplies are for office use only and that disregard will result in some type of disciplinary action. The severity of theft would determine the amount of discipline issued. For instance, taking a pen home may just result in telling that person that they really should not be taking home any office supplies and giving a warning, whereas taking home stacks of computer paper would result in a write-up and close supervision. In conclusion,taking office supplies home from work for personal use is not ethical behavior because legally, it is considered theft which is taking something that does not belong to you. Some businesses let this behavior slide because most employees take petty supplies home such and pens and pencils, but some companies consider taking a pen distrust and disloyalty to the company which would result in termination. Taking office supplies home for personal use depends on the type of business and how your company stresses the severity and importance of this idea to its employees.