Articles

A New Spin on Theft at Work

Jana M. Kemp

Spam is a form of theft. Here’s why. My computer is owned by my business. Therefore the computer hard-drive is the private property of my business. Dumping, delivering, or blasting spam to my e-mail address is a form of theft because private property (in the form of computer memory space) is being stolen from my business. Spam can also be labeled a productivity-thief because of the time, energy, and attention lost while handling, sorting, and deleting the junk e-mail.

Spam is not like hardcopy junk mail. Junk mail costs someone more than their time to produce and get the item into my hands, through a mail box that is owned by the United States Postal Service. And junk mail really only costs me my time because I can choose to recycle the junk mail before I sit down at my desk.

So, the new spin on theft at work is that businesses are sometimes stealing from customers. What are the ways this stealing happens? The obvious answer is “overcharging” is a form of stealing or theft. Misrepresenting what is for sale is a form of stealing because it leads people to make decisions that are not delivered upon. This misrepresentation in effect steals peace of mind, satisfaction, productivity, and ultimately leads to a decline in your business.

Here’s an example from my mailbox. Mailing list companies steal from customers when they sell lists that are not verified on an annual basis. In one day, I received five identical pieces of mail from the same communications company. One of the pieces was addressed to me, while the other four were addressed to people at the company who had the post office box number before my company did – I’ve had the box for nine years. This is a form of theft because a list company has sold names and addresses that have been invalid for at least nine years.

I sent all of the mailers back to the company to let them know they were being “ripped off.” I’ll let you know what I hear back.

The bottom line is this: What forms of theft are happening at your company? How is it affecting your business? And how is it affecting your customers?

ACTION ITEMS: Identify the theft occurring with the customers of your business. Discuss with your employees how “theft” from customers can be eliminated. Build a plan for eliminating the problem areas. Establish clear policies about how theft will be handled by your company.
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Reprint Permission: The author is willing to grant reprint permissions. Please contact Jana Kemp: jana@janakemp.com or call 208-367-1701.