I've been Stealing Money from My Job

Dear WISY,

I am so afraid right now.  I have been stealing from work to help with my bills and to buy my children clothes.  Please don't judge. I'm a single mom and I have to do what I have to do to make ends meet.  If you are a mother, I'm sure you will understand.  

At first, when I started I told myself that I would pay back every last dime but I haven't been able to do it yet.  Every time I say I'm going to pay it back, something else comes up and the money gets spent.  I don't really feel so bad because the company is well an established nation-wide company with many branches and they are only paying me minimum.  If they weren't so tight I wouldn't have to do this.

The reason why I'm so afraid right now is because the audit happened and the numbers are not adding up.  I didn't realize that they would make a big thing over such small amounts but over time it added up.  It looks like I took about $3,000.00 so far.  Now they are going through each individual's responsibility to find where the discrepancy is.  I am shaking in my shoes and I think I should quit before they find out and fire me.  I would be so ashamed if I was fired for that and furthermore, how will I ever get another job with that on my record?

Do you think I have anything to worry about?  $3,000.00 is a lot to me but to them it may not be so much.  Do you think they will fire me if they don't have actual proof that I took money?  Nobody saw me take anything so can they really blame me?

Signed,
Pay Back

WISY's Advice:

Dear Pay Back,

There are many jobs you could've taken to supplement your income.  There are even flexible hour jobs you can take where you work from home.  Stealing is an unnecessary, disgraceful act.  Yes, I am a mother and no, I cannot identify with you on this one.  When I needed extra cash, I earned money the legal way.  Please don't try to group the law-abiding mothers into your nonsensical category.

If you felt like your back was up against the wall, you could've sought out resources within your company to help you out.  Most large companies have a fund which is used to help employees in need.  There are public resources you could've tapped into, you could've even asked friends and family to help you out.  There are several routes you could've taken.

Once the audit is complete, they will be able to determine where the losses are coming from.  Whether they saw you take anything or not is irrelevant.  I'm not sure what the company's policy is for stealing.  But I think it's safe to say it's frowned upon and there will be some sort of disciplinary action taken.  Read the company's policies and you can determine what will most likely happen to you.  Make your own decision as to what you will do.  I hope this time, it's an honorable one.

Walk good,
#TeamWISY

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