Middle managers responsible for an office crime
wave, according to new survey
In case you hadn’t noticed, September 15-19 was Hands Off Week
in the UK.
Nothing to do with sexual harassment in the workplace, the new
initiative from labelling and filing specialist Avery is designed to raise
awareness of office pilfering and encourage employers and their staff to
safeguard their possessions, work tools and desktop accessories.
In a survey of 2,000 UK workers commissioned by Avery, over
60% complained about items being lifted from their desks, with pens,
staplers, notebooks, snacks, files and folders the most likely to go
missing. In addition, almost four out of 10 (38%) said they had had
food taken from the office fridge
or kitchen.
More valuable objects, such as
laptops, tablets and mobiles, also
regularly go missing, as well as
unusual items, including socks, an
inflatable sheep, a garden gnome,
nail polish and even a carpet.
Interestingly, the ‘office thief’
is most likely to be a middle
ranking member of staff or even
the boss. Interns, temps and
office juniors are least likely to
be light-fingered with office
property, according to Avery’s
research.
Counting the cost
Avery estimates that petty pilfering costs each business an average
of £1,334.85 per year. Yet many continue to turn a blind eye to the
problem, with over a quarter of respondents saying that their employer
took no special precautions such as locking away or hiding important
company property.
Simply labelling items was viewed as an effective deterrent by two
out of five respondents.
Over and above the costs associated with theft from the workplace,
Avery says organisations should consider how the loss of certain items
could impact employees’ ability to do their jobs. Almost three quarters
20
| P2P Magazine | Autumn 2014
01732 759725
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