My sister-in-law works at a child care facility.  Company policy states that they can’t take their personal items like purses and what not into the rooms where they care for the kids.

Well, with this, it was only a matter of time before someone started taking advantage of this and stealing money.  A couple of people (thankfully not my sister-in-law) have reported that they kept their purses here and that money has been coming up missing.

People are now starting to hold back on bringing anything of value in at all, but how desperate do you have to be to steal from your co-workers?

Many of the people that work in these types of places become friends.  Most of the employees are female, and many are younger.  Before Baby Beagle was born, my wife had jobs in similar places, and made many friends along the way.

Unfortunately, these places don’t pay very well.  Child care is not a lucrative field, so quite honestly, hearing about this type of theft doesn’t really surprise me.  Money is tight with most people that work here, and while it’s no excuse, probably one extra bill or unforeseen situation could cause someone to be desperate enough to go places where they shouldn’t.

Reduce your chances of being a victim of this type of workplace theft:

• Take away the opportunity to be a target – Don’t leave your wallet or valuables lying around.  Keep them in a locked place, or if that’s not available, make sure what you bring in and leave unattended is minimal.
• Keep your eyes open – Someone is being very bold here.  Keep aware of suspicious behavior or anything out of the ordinary.  Whether you know it or not, you become aware of people’s habits if you’re around them long enough, so keep an eye if something suddenly changes.
• Report activity – Even if you don’t see something directly, if you have any suspicions, it’s better to report it.  If you’re uncomfortable, do so anonymously.  
• Don’t feel guilty – Because of the relationships that often get built at work, many people feel guilty about reporting a colleague, whether it be for confirmed activity or just suspicions.  Don’t feel guilty!  There’s someone breaking the law, taking something that doesn’t belong to them, and impacting the safety and security of everybody else there.  Besides, if you do know something and don’t speak up, you’re basically an accomplice and that’s not worth it.

If you’re desperate enough to consider or even follow through with such an action, don’t do it.  You might solve a problem easily but it’s a slippery slope and it’s just not worth it. 

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