Young workers in the United States are twice as likely as older colleagues to steal office supplies for home use without thinking it is wrong, a new study says. And all those missing paper clips and pens add up to more than $50 billion a year.
One in five workers age 18 to 24 did not feel it was wrong to take home office supplies, said the Spherion Workplace Snapshot, an online survey.
"That's just how many people admit it," said John Case, head of Employeetheft.com, a security consulting firm based in Del Mar, California.
The Spherion survey of 1,630 employed U.S. adults was taken in early April and released this month.
"A lot of people that steal don't consider it stealing. They just consider it taking things or that it's a fringe benefit," Case said.
By contrast, just 12 percent of older workers said they took supplies. In dollar value, older workers may take more costly supplies because as senior employees they may have easier access, less supervision and more ways to cover up such a theft, Case added.
I wonder just how much that useless little survey cost? Right or wrong, business factors pilferage in to their pricing, the customer pays regardless of whether anything is stolen or not.
It doesn’t make the theft right, just recognises the reality.
What I want to see is a survey which details the theft by lawmakers, through bribes and backhanders. That is public money too, added to the cost of purchases.
How about those little perks and bribes among civil servants. More to the point perhaps, seeing as the money has to come from somewhere, what about the fiddles by the big corps who buy of lawmakers and civil servants.
You can pretty much bet that $50 million a year is chump change in the corporate rip-off slush funds.
I posted some lobbyist factoids a few months back:
- Of the states, California lays claim to the lions share of ‘lobby’ money spending; $212 million in 2004.
- Texas comes in second at around $160 million.
- New York tally is around $140 million
- Minnesota was the only other state to reach the $50-million mark.
But whenever things star getting hot for the big guys, what do they do? They divert the argument, most often divert it to the weakest in society. Everyone knows kids are irritating critters, so let’s target them.
No way big guys! How about using some of you filthy cash to fund a survey in to just how much is really being pilfered from our communities.
2 comments:
Eric, I can't argue with the kiddy factor, but it goes nowhere near the adult theft.
Kvatch, I was just over your house. I think you are right. It sure outclasses the piddly $50,000 a year the kiddies nick!
When an employee takes a paper clip from his company, that's stealing. When a politician takes money from a lobbyist, that's just the way the system works.
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