Theft Committed by an Employee is Shoplifting

 Posted on February 11, 2016 in Shoplifting

There are so many employees who have taken things from their place of business, and think nothing of it. According to Fortune, retail workers in particular have a tendency to take things from their place of employment without permission. Similarly, thousands of office workers have taken office supplies home on an occasion or two—maybe some ink pens, printer paper, or ink cartridges. These are all forms of employee theft, and an employer could choose to press theft charges against the employee who stole items from work.

Why Do Employees Take Steal From Work?

There are a number of different reasons why workers steal from their job. Some workers feel mistreated by their bosses or management. They might feel like they deserved a promotion or raise and did not receive one when they should have. They might feel undercompensated for the work that they do, and thus feel entitled to a little something extra. They might take office supplies home for personal use, damaged merchandise that should be considered a loss, or products that could otherwise be sold to paying customers. Employees could also steal from the cash register—but this is a more blatant form of theft and the employee is more likely to get caught than if the employee steals other items that are less easily accounted. Shrinkage, or the mysterious disappearance of merchandise due to theft and damage, happens in every business, making it easier for workers to hide their theft.

When Employee Theft Occurs in Retail, It is a Form of Shoplifting

When retail employees steal merchandise from their place of employment, it is a form of shoplifting, or retail theft, for which they can be held accountable. Employees are well-equipped to commit such crimes since they know in detail the layout of the storefront, where security cameras are, how to circumvent security devices, etc. This knowledge makes it more difficult to catch the employee in the act, or to gather evidence that the theft has occurred and which employee did it.

However,employees do notnecessarily just steal merchandise from their job for themselves. Some employees work in cahoots with a friend, partner, or colleague to commit retail theft. The employee could assist the partner in committing retail theft by:

• Informing the partner about how to avoid detection, i.e., where security cameras are, when security takes a break, how to remove a security device, etc.;
• Removing security tags on a particular piece of merchandise and hiding it in the store, so that the partner can steal the item;
• Ringing up an item for less than its retail value;
• Entering a fake price for an item; or
• Providing a refund that is not valid, or for an item that the store does not carry.

Employers work hard to identify sources of theft and fraud in their business, and when employees are responsible, employers will terminate the employee and likely press charges.

Let Us Assist You

Employees are just as likely as customers to be accused of retail theft. If you are facing shoplifting charges from your employer, or former employer, you need the help of an experienced retail theft lawyer. Please contact a Rolling Meadows shoplifting attorney immediately. Our attorneys are happy to help you today.

Sources:

http://fortune.com/26/us-retail-worker-theft/

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K16-25