Employee Theft among College Students in the Workforce

Employee theft costs organizations billions of dollars annually. Despite the severity of employee theft, previous research has not focused on the specific demographics of employees who commit this crime. The number of college students in the workforce has increased over the years; thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the serious problem of employee theft, particularly in relation to the college student population. A survey was used to collect data from college students to indicate employee theft activities among them. Employee theft activities were categorized as follows: time theft, property theft, embezzlement, pilferage, and data and trade secret theft. Survey responses from 92 students indicated that the majority committed time theft, followed by property theft, pilferage, data and trade secret theft, and embezzlement, respectively. This study adds valuable information for businesses and practitioners to understand the severity of employee theft among the increasing number of college students in the workforce.