An Allentown woman is now serving 57 months in prison for stealing from her employer to the tune of $1.6 million over the course of an entire decade. That being said, many employees feel it’s really no big deal to raid the supply cabinet and bring home the occasional box of pens, tablets, or other office supplies, even though it’s stealing nevertheless.
Did you ever wonder why your employer often looks the other way when he knows you’re absconding with an occasional box of pens or paperclips? I think I do.
Perhaps it’s because while you’re clandestinely working your petty pilfering skills at his expense, he’s stealing enough cash from you to more than make up for all the highlighters and correction tape you’re walking out the door with.
Odds are he’s probably doing it in the open too, right in front of everybody.
I watch my employer openly steal from a coworker of mine on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s $1.25, but most days he gets taken for $2.50.
Okay, Len, what the heck are you talking about?
I’m talking about the soda machine. Where I work they spit out 20-ounce bottles for $1.25 a pop (no pun intended). Talk about highway robbery.
Why would anybody continue to buy sodas from the company soda machine, especially when you consider it really is not too difficult to find 12-packs of 12-ounce cans for $5.00 or so (after taxes and recycle fees)?
Let’s say my coworker works 48 weeks per year, five days per week, and averages one soda per day. That means he is paying our employer $300 per year so he can get his daily root beer fix at work. Assuming my coworker brought his own root beer to work (like I do) at a cost of $5 per 12-pack, he would save $200 per year.
Two hundred dollars!
So who, exactly, is stealing from whom? Uh huh.
Now here’s some friendly advice: Before you go complaining to the boss that he’s ripping you off, tally the numbers, just to be sure.
Of course, I trust you’ll be using your own pencil and paper.
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I read a funny post this week at ElementsOfLifestyle.com. It was about a company who’s free coffee was so bad, they were trying to get people to pay for good coffee in the cafeteria. The author called it “Crapitalism” and he pointed out some companies who make money like this.
I work at a start-up and thankfully the snacks and sodas are free. I don’t eat a lot of sodas and snack foods, but the organic coffee is really nice. I love this job and not just for the freebies. It’s a great place to work, with nice people on staff.
I’m feeling pretty blessed that I don’t get taken for coffee or sodas.
Another one for you Len: What about all the time an employer asks you to work an extra 20 minutes here, or take a lunch there. Rarely in the contract – almost always in their interest…
@Bret: LOL! But seriously… Free sodas AND snacks???? Do you mind if I send you my resume?
@Monevator: I think you make a great point! For me, as an engineer, I almost always choose to work through my lunch. But since I earn a salary, I think that comes with the territory — so I don’t feel like I am being taken advantage of there — although I would feel very different if I wasn’t on salary.
I count myself lucky as well, my company provides soda, snacks, and a Starbucks coffee machine. We also get a local burger joint to cater the office once a week. We’re a start-up as well… just under a 100 people.
Start-ups are a mixed bag.
The perks and the atmosphere are great, but Pink-Slip Fridays suck.
My last start-up went under during the tech bubble burst. I worked my butt off for a bunch of worthless stock, but the experience was awesome. Here, we are well funded and in the medical device industry, so I’m pretty happy about that.
@MyMeans: A Starbucks coffee machine and catered lunches? Quit piling on, would ya? lol But seriously, best of luck to you!
@ Bret: Well, the pink slips are everywhere now – not just the start-ups. I’ve never worked for a start up, but I do work in the research and development group of a very high ranking Fortune 500 company. So I get the worst of both worlds – long hours working business development AND a lack of freebie snacks to boot! lol
I agree that $1.25 per can is high, and that your friend could certainly save money by bringing his own. An dshould.
But unless your employer says that he can only buy soda from them it’s not stealing. Your friend is giving them his money with his eyes wide open. You can call it a stupidity tax, but not theft.
Not the same thing as pilfering pens in any way, shape or form. THAT is stealing. One certainly does not justify the other. Not even a little tiny bit.
You’re absolutely correct, BeThisWay!
Of course, my liberal use of the term “stealing” vis-a-vis employers selling soda was never intended to be taken in the literal sense. Nor was my use of the term “highway robbery.”
You missed a big one. Check this out.
You are a new employee, who started in between the company pay period. The first week you work 40 hours and get a check. Now your in the cycle. The second week you work 40 hours, and you pick your medical benefits…which are billed every pay period. The third week you work 40 hours…first big paycheck, and they take out 2 pay periods worth of benefits.
Ask them why, they say the benefits are deducted “Per pay period”, and your first week they didnt charge, and now they are catching up. This happened to me twice and friends three more times. Its not much, but it amounts to a lot of people.
Here is the catch. Per pay period…ok, except you were not covered the first week by insurance (you didnt pick it your first day)they refuse to provide coverage proof for the first week…so you just payed for something and got nothing. Worse yet, the “pay per period” wouldnt apply because you didnt even contract with them to provide medical insurance till the second week. Still, HR and benefits say you have to catch up.
somewhere around 50% of all new employees start work between pay periods. Of these MOST companies have the same “Per Pay Period” deduction schedule for benefits. All will charge for the first week…retroactively. Remember, your last check has deductions too, so this is not money in advance. Its plain stealing. Average ripoff per employee is somewhere around 40.00 to 100.00. Hundreds of thousands of people…means lots of money.
Look it up…happens every day. You are billed money and got nothing in return.
Comments?
Well, if that’s true, I am not surprised.
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