Professor Martin Gill from the University of Leicester says thieving employees cost UK businesses nearly GB pound 500m a year, leading to higher prices for consumer goods.
Interviews with dismissed staff suggest that a range of personnel are involved with cheating firms out of cash, from cashiers to managers. Gill, who fronts the university’s spin-off organisation Perpetuity, said that the findings were striking.
“Almost one third of respondents had colluded with colleagues or friends and family in committing offences; and two thirds of interviewees were aware of dishonesty amongst other staff.”
Gill said staff had confessed to taking cash from tills, pilfering from shops and warehouses and misusing loyalty cards.
Some employees said they stole because lax security measures made it easy for them.
“Interviewees believed their chances of getting caught were low, largely because of poor in-store security; they made use of CCTV blind spots and took advantage of ad hoc approaches to policies and procedures.
“That said, some were identified stealing on CCTV, and some were caught because they were searched and found to have goods on them, some had been informed on by colleagues.”
Small, portable items with some kind of street value are said to be the most desirable to workplace thieves.
Gill suggests a number of loss prevention techniques for managers. CCTV is cited as an important deterrent but Gill said employees must believe it is being properly maintained.
Improving working relations between frontline staff and managers may help counteract feelings of negativity towards companies, which sacked staff gave as a reason for stealing.