Causes of employee theft and strategies that HR managers can use for prevention.

This article examines the causes responsible for employee theft and strategies for human resource (HR) managers for its prevention. Research has explored behavioral predictors of employee theft indicating that individuals involved in employee theft are likely to be involved in other deviant behaviors such as alcohol, and/or drug abuse, and gambling. At the social level theft may be viewed as a behavioral response to unfair treatment by one's manager or other organizational representatives or the perceived violation of one's psychological contract with the company or compliance with informal group norms. Employee theft is also influenced by group norms that may condone, encourage or fail to discourage such behavior. The influence of the organization's policies on employee theft centers on two primary systems of compensation and control. While it maybe impossible to prevent all theft, it can be reduced. HR managers can contribute to theft prevention through alterations in the selection system, orientation process, organizational literature, training and development programs, compensation packages, and employee assistance programs. As a general rule, managers are urged to enact both procedural strategies such as adding security systems in obvious theft-prone situations, as well as such interactive strategies as getting to know employees.