24 million Britons ‘steal’ from their employers
24 January 2008
Employers are victims of multiple cases of thieving, with 24 million workers taking property from work or exaggerating expense claims, according to a new survey by insurer Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA).
Most British employees are guilty of some form of office pilfering (82%). However, R&SA’s statistics show that some employees are guilty of more serious crimes such as removing and keeping company laptops (almost a quarter of a million workers) and exaggerating expense and overtime claims (one in seven).
Perhaps more startling are their reasons for committing these crimes.
Of those who have taken something from work, nearly one million5 did so because they considered it to be their property, and a further 963,2006 workers did so to spite their company.
Jon Woodman, Trading Director of Broker, R&SA, said, “Our research has shown that taking work property home and making false claims are very common in the workplace.
“Per worker, thefts are mostly of small items, but given that 82% of people who work have admitted to pilfering from the workplace, the overall impact on a business could be significant.
“As an insurer, we take theft very seriously and advise businesses to be aware of the actions of their employees. Policies can be enforced which encourage employers to respect company property or sign in and out materials such as laptops.”
