Dear J.T. & Dale: I caught a coworker stealing office supplies last week. We both stayed late at work. I don't think she knew I was there. I walked into the bathroom and found her stuffing toilet paper, soap and a few other items in her oversized bag. It was such an awkward moment. She didn't even say anything. She just finished packing the stuff and left. I feel like I should turn her in. But, then I think she must have a good reason to steal, right? That said, she works in marketing, and I feel like she must be making a decent salary. So, why steal? What do I do? — Elise
J.T.: What if you first had a conversation with the employee to inquire about it? Perhaps there was some information you aren't aware of — for instance, she was told to bring some office supplies someplace by management. If she can't give you a good answer, then I would consult the company's employee handbook to see how to handle it. My only concern is if management found out about it, and learned that you knew and didn't report it, you could get in trouble.
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DALE: That says good things about you, J.T., that you would seek out some reasonable explanation of this employee's shady behavior. However, if management actually had requested a late-night relocation of bathroom supplies, I'm sure that's the first thing the coworker would have said. So, let's face it, we're dealing with a sleaze. Sure, you don't really care about some company toiletries, but if you can't trust a person with small things, you can't trust a person. Management needs to know. Will this hurt your relationship with your coworker? Yeah. But even if you kept her secret, the next time management says anything negative to her, she'll assume the worst and blame you. She might even seek to undermine you, maybe even come up with some lie about you to preempt your honesty. To sum up, you owe it to the team and yourself to be honest.
