How Would You Confront a Co-worker About Stealing?
Employees steal from a company for multiple reasons. Some workers may take items because they feel the company has wronged them, while others may steal because financial burdens prevent them from purchasing the item. Regardless of a coworkers reasoning, you cannot passively sit by and allow a fellow employee steal from the company. If a company experiences theft in the workplace, it may institute stricter rules on all employees and even cut salaries to compensate for the loss of product.
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Instructions
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Determine if the person was truly stealing, or if there was a misunderstanding. If you saw a co-worker take an insignificant item one time, such as a handful of plastic forks, he may have had the manager's approval to do so. If you see the act occur more than once or he's taking larger, more expensive items, it's unlikely the manager knows about the situation.
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Ask a fellow employee you trust if he has noticed an employee stealing items. You can strengthen your case if you have witnesses; the accused co-worker cannot simply say there was a misunderstanding if more than one person caught him in the act.
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Explain to your co-worker that you saw him taking items from the company. To avoid unleashing rumors in the workplace, confront the co-worker in private. Tell him the items you witnessed him take, the date he took them and other co-workers who saw the act.
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Empathize with the co-worker if she explains her reasoning for stealing the items. You want to appear caring and concerned, not angry and condescending. Explain to the co-worker that you understand her reasoning, but that she's risking her job by stealing items and she's hurting the company by stealing items it must replace. Inform her you will have to go to a manager if you witness her stealing again.
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Tips & Warnings
If you witness a co-worker stealing money, inform a manager immediately. The manager in charge can take the blame if money is found missing.
If the theft is petty, it's almost always better to confront the co-worker without involving a manager. According to Inc.com, a 2006 survey from CareerBuilder found that 45 percent of managers fired employees for any kind of theft. Getting a co-worker fired for taking a few plastic knives isn't necessary when you can likely stop the act from reoccurring by simply talking to the co-worker.
