One in five staff admit taking office supplies

One in five office staff in the US have admitted to taking office supplies from the workplace for their own personal use in the past 12 months.

In a survey conducted by staffing firm Spherion, 19 per cent of employees suggested they had nicked office supplies from work to then use at home – a one per cent increase on 2006 figures.

Among the group of people who admitted taking the office supplies, 21 per cent suggested they felt guilty about it.

The main reason staff gave for thieving the office supplies was that they needed them, with 41 per cent of respondents stating so.

Another 32 per cent said their manager had given them the green light to pinch the office supplies, while 15 per cent felt their firm would never miss the stolen items.

Pens, pencils or rulers were the most common office supplies to go missing, accounting for 25 per cent of thefts, while Paper, post-its and file folders made up 19 per cent.

Surprisingly, employees earning over $75,000 (£37,000) were the most likely group to lift office supplies from the workplace.

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