if you saw employee stealing interview question

When interviewing for a job, employers may ask you certain questions to learn about your character and determine if you would be the right fit for their company. One common question you may hear during your interview is “What would you do if you saw an employee stealing?” Understanding what an employer is looking for in this question and how to best answer it can help you have a successful interview. In this article, we discuss why interviewers ask what you would do in this situation, explain how to prepare an effective answer and share some example responses.

When the interviewer asks what you’d do after seeing a coworker stealing, you should explain that you would avoid a confrontation in the moment, but then report the theft to your direct manager or boss as soon as possible (the same day that you saw the theft is best).

How would you react if you saw a co worker steal? | FirefighterNOW

Job Interview Question & Answer: What If You Saw a Coworker Taking From the Cash Register?

Hiring managers ask interviewees how they would handle seeing somebody stealing to get a sense of an applicant’s ethics. Most companies have a zero-tolerance policy on theft, so supervisors want to know where you stand. This question helps a business judge whether or not a candidate is trustworthy and reliable.

Sample Answers

The appropriate response can vary depending on the position. Check out these examples to help you answer the question, “What do you do if you see a coworker stealing?”:

Sample Answer 1 – Retail Worker

“If I noticed a coworker taking products, I’d report it as soon as possible. I would make sure to use discretion and speak to a team lead in private so that they could deal with the thief appropriately.”

Sample Answer 2 – Restaurant Server

“Unfortunately, wait staff may try to scam the company or guests by stealing from the register or padding checks. I feel this hurts the reputation of the restaurant and servers. If I saw it happening, I would talk to my manager right away about any concerning behavior.”

Sample Answer 3 – Bank Teller

“As bankers, it’s our responsibility to be accurate and honest with clients’ money. Stealing from customers or the company is a huge violation of trust. I would ask my supervisor for a meeting to discuss what I saw so that they could take the necessary action.”

How to Answer Questions about Employee Theft

When asked what you would do if you witnessed a coworker stealing, it’s important to respond quickly and decisively. The goal is to show the potential employer that you are loyal. Assure the interviewer that you would report the theft to HR or your manager, no matter the circumstances.

Example 1: Retail worker

“If I noticed one of my coworkers taking company products, I would report it to my team lead as soon as possible. To do this, I would identify an appropriate time when I could speak with them in private about the matter so that they could determine how to handle the situation.”

Example 5: Data analyst

“While stealing can mean taking physical items from the workplace that dont belong to you, I am also mindful of avoiding taking data that doesnt belong to me. If I witnessed an employee downloading files or pieces of data to their personal device, I would report it to my HR manager to make them aware that an employee violated a company policy. My HR manager could then choose how to deal with the employee.”

Think about the company’s best interests

Its also important to keep in mind the companys best interests when answering this interview question. While you may want to take charge when you see someone stealing, its crucial to go through the proper channels. Many employers prefer to have an individual report the instance to a supervisor or notify their HR manager.

How to answer “What would you do if you saw an employee stealing?”

Here are some steps you can take to answer this interview question:

7 sample answers to “If you saw a co-worker stealing a small item or giving food to a friend without paying, what would you do?”

I would report them immediately to the manager. And I would not feel like a snitch if I did that. Because this is not a prison, and if we want to have this job for a long time, and deliver good service to the customers, things like stealing cannot be tolerated–in any case.

I say that it really depends on the circumstances. Look, maybe they experience a tricky period in their life, struggling with bills. Maybe it’s their last option, or their friend’s last alternative, the one they gave food to. They are hungry and have no money. So, if the colleague in question was someone who worked for a store for a long time, someone who always worked responsibly and had a great track record, I would likely go and talk to them personally first. I’d try to understand why they did it, and I would also ask them to return the item, and to never steal anything again… Of course if it happened the second time, or if the employee in question was a newbie in the workplace, I’d report the incident immediately.

This a great company, and I am sure you have rules in place for everything. The only thing I know is that we cannot tolerate stealing, regardless of the price of the item. Because when they steal something which costs one dollar today, they may steal something worth $100 tomorrow, or the next week, and there won’t be a way back from there. So I am sure we have to report it, and once I know the right way and person to report to, that’s what I will do anytime I see someone stealing.

First of all, I know that we cannot tolerate stealing. On the other hand, I am also aware of the world we live in, the inequality between people, and a tough ordeal many around us experience. One can become homeless pretty quickly in this country. You lose your job, fail to pay your mortgage for two months in a row, and you can end up on the street… What I want to say is that perhaps if the food was after the expiration date, or if I saw them giving someone bananas that are half-rotten and would end up in a rubbish bin anyway, I might tolerate it. I’d still go and talk to them and perhaps also to the manager, explaining what I saw and also my point of view, but I wouldn’t insist on a dismissal of that colleague. On the other hand, if they stole a good item, one that we could still sell to paying customer, I’d report them immediately, and they should bear the consequences of their action.

I would intervene immediately. I would call the manager, right from the spot, and explain what I saw. In this way the thief would not have any chance of escaping, or claiming that the incident didn’t happen, that I made things up. I strongly believe that we should not consider the circumstances when we talk about a theft. It doesn’t matter if the item was small, or big. A theft is a theft, and it has to be reported immediately. If we ignored small thefts they would easily grow into something bigger. And if one employee got away with stealing something, others might also try their luck… We cannot afford such a risk in the workplace.

I would approach them and ask them to pay for the item. Of course, everyone can make a mistake, and employee turnover is pretty high in retail. I mean, maybe it was just a rare occasion, something they did in a low moment, and would not repeat ever again. I’d try to solve the situation in this way, especially if it was something minor, if they took one bar of chocolate or a small bag of candies. If it happened again, however, if I saw them stealing one more time, I would report the incident to the store manager.

I can tell you what happened in my last job. A colleague, a student actually, who was working as a cashier, had one regular customer. I noticed that this particular customer always came to the store only when this colleague was on shift, and they always went to their cash desk–never to any other one, never to mine for example–I was also working on the same shift. And I noticed something strange. They always shopped a lot, but paid a little. Then I finally realized that the student, my colleague, didn’t scan a few food items from their shopping cart. They purposely skipped the most expensive items, such as meat and alcohol, which lowered the bill of their friend significantly. As soon as I found out about this scam, I discretely reported it to the manager. We waited for the next shopping of their friend, which occurred a few days later. Manager stopped the shopper as they were leaving the store, and security guard was also present. The thieves were exposed, and then it was for the police to take care of the situation… As you can see, I keep my eyes open at work, and definitely won’t tolerate any stealing.

Be ready for curveballs when you’re interviewing for a retail position. Catherine Conlan

Remember that time a customer tried to return an opened product worth hundreds of dollars without a receipt—even though the store’s policy against it was posted right at the counter—and wouldn’t accept no as an answer?

You’ll collect a lot of stories working retail, and they are the experiences you can draw on when faced with tough questions in your next retail job interview. Retail hirers want to see how you perform when you’re challenged, so be prepared for curveball questions.

These are a few common ones to expect, and the right answers to give in response. You can be sure to expect a few of these if youre interviewing for jobs at the top 100 retailers in America.

“What do you do if a sale falls through?”

Retail associates need to be able to bounce back if a sale doesn’t go how they expected, says Lisa Ritchie, vice president of human resources at Match Marketing Group in Mississauga, Ontario.

Ritchie recommends taking the STAR approach—answer with a Situation, the Task you needed to complete, the Action you took and the Result. It doesn’t matter if this hasn’t happened to you yet—you need to have an answer for when it does.

What you should say: “I was working with a customer who couldn’t decide which shirt she should get with a skirt she wanted to buy. She became overwhelmed with the choices and ultimately decided to put everything back, including the skirt. I noted that the shirt she was currently wearing actually matched with the skirt very well. She checked and agreed, and bought two.”

“How would you respond if you caught a co-worker stealing from the company?”

This seems pretty straightforward, says Kevin Kanta, senior account manager with McLean, Virginia-based Service Power. But it’s a trick question. Kanta says people tend to answer by going on and on about taking charge of the situation, from confronting the employee to calling the police.

But those aren’t the right answers.

The hiring manager wants to hear that you are going to bring it to your supervisor’s attention or call an HR hotline to report it, Kanta says. Companies want a situation like this one to go through the proper channels.

What you should say: “I would report it to my boss or to our store’s loss prevention manager.”

“Can you give an example of how you increased sales for your store?”

Depending on the position you’re applying for, this sales question may come in different forms, says Devin Pappas, who works as a store manager and visual merchandiser for Clearwater, Florida-based Patchington.

If you’re interviewing for a sales manager position, you may be asked about how your teams performed or about your motivation techniques. If it’s a customer-facing position, the interviewer will want to know how you approach sales. And chances are, they’ll want more than one example. No matter what form the question takes, your answer should include hard numbers.

What you should say: “I overhauled our window display schedule to update it weekly instead of twice a month, resulting in 15% more foot traffic and a corresponding 7% rise in sales over three months.”

“How would you pitch our store, and convince people to buy from us?”

This question, Pappas says, is a way for the interviewer to find out if you’ve done your homework. Stay away from generalities, such as, “Your brand is the best.” Use the knowledge you have about the company’s brand, target audience and recent performance to put together a pitch.

What you should say: “Brand X’s clothes provide the best combination of value and style for today’s up-and-coming career woman. No other brand offers such an affordable modern look.”

“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Candidates can go on about their strengths, but when it comes to weaknesses, some think it’s best to say they don’t have any or can’t think of any, Kanta says. Don’t—that answer is a red flag.

The hiring manager wants to know you can accept feedback and develop your own skills. Give one or two strengths with examples to go with them. Then list one or two weaknesses, and describe how you’re working on them.

What you should say: “I’ve been told I speak too quickly when talking about products, so I’ve been practicing my sales pitch and recording it to hear how I sound. I’ve been focusing on slowing down when talking with customers as well.”

Check out all the retail jobs on Monster.

Advice and Examples: What would you do if you were made aware of a co-worker being dishonest or stealing from the company?

19. What would you do if you were made aware of a co-worker being dishonest or stealing from the company?

The Goal

The interviewer wants evidence that you are an honest person who would do the right thing even in an uncomfortable situation. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you have the confidence to address dishonesty amongst your co-workers and that you would support integrity inside the organization.

What to Avoid

Avoid answers that make it seem like you are sympathetic to dishonesty. Instead, show that you are proactive in protecting your company and work environment while balancing doing the right thing with being kind to others. For instance, you would report the situation according to company policy without embarrassing the co-worker or gossiping about it to the rest of your team.

Pro Tip

The interviewer wants to know how you would proceed in a situation involving employee dishonesty. Because this question is positioned as, What would you do if, you can respond hypothetically. The Situation, Solution, Benefit formula is helpful in this instance. Step 1) Situation: Express your understanding of the hypothetical situation. Step 2) Solution: Outline the solution you would introduce in this hypothetical situation. Step 3) Benefit: Highlight how your approach to handling this dishonesty will benefit the hiring company.

How to Answer

Companies want to know they are hiring loyal employees. Make sure that you illustrate in your answer that you would do the right thing and represent the company for which you are working. If you have an example from when this happened, you can talk to the interviewer about it but avoid naming people outright or speaking poorly of anyone. Rachelles Answer “I certainly would not consider myself a whistle-blower in the workplace. If I found that a co-worker was stealing or doing anything to harm the company, I would approach them directly to ask what was happening. There is a good chance of the situation being a simple misunderstanding. If it wasnt a misunderstanding and the co-worker was outright defiant with their damaging actions, then I would bring it, professionally, to the appropriate parties.” Rachelles Retail Example Answer “When I was a server in college, I became aware that another server was altering his tips. It was an incredibly uncomfortable situation. The server was open about having many family issues and financial problems. I was empathetic to his situation; however, stealing is never okay. I told him that I knew what he was doing and expressed how I felt about the situation. He brushed it off as though I imagined the situation. So, I approached our manager with my discovery, and he was terminated shortly after. Its important to me that I work with honest individuals who are unafraid to hold each other accountable.” Rachelles Sales Example Answer “In a previous role, I had a hunch that one of the appointment setters was inflating the number of appointments that he was setting but had no solid proof. There was a sudden uptick in productivity, but it appeared he was not putting in any extra effort. That said, it was not my department, direct report, or my place to address the situation. So, I mentioned the situation to another account executive, who was in his department, and they agreed to keep an eye on the situation.” Rachelles Teacher Example Answer “I have never found myself in this situation, but I feel Id address it with the person in question and then involve the appropriate supervisory parties as necessary if the behavior continued. As a teacher, there isnt much opportunity to take or be greedy, so I cant see this happening, honestly, but if it did, thats how I would handle it.” Rachelles Admin Example Answer “If I knew that an employee was stealing from the company, I would report it to my manager. When employees steal, their actions put everyone at risk.” Rachelles Manager Example Answer “I have caught employees stealing before. I have zero patience for this type of behavior. It costs the company a lot of money, resulting in increased costs to my customers, and potentially jeopardizes future raises and team growth. Whenever I have caught an employee stealing, I bring the matter up with HR, along with supporting evidence. This approach ensures a clean termination eliminates the company being at risk of being sued by the disgruntled former employee.” Rachelles Marketing Example Answer “I have caught a co-worker plagiarizing their work before. This practice is a huge faux pas in our industry, resulting in immediate termination. When I caught the co-worker, I reported it anonymously to our marketing director. He had been terminated shortly after, which I felt a bit bad for, but reminded myself that he put our entire agencys reputation at risk, including my job.”

4 Community Answers

Anonymous interview answers with our interview experts feedback

Anonymous Interview Answer “I would confront the workers and inform them that I am aware of the situation. Then, I would let them know that I would have to report them it happens again.” Rachelles Feedback for the Answer Above It seems you are responsible in the workplace and willing to put your neck out for the good of the employer/organization. In terms of law enforcement, most codes of conduct demand than any unethical actions be reported immediately, without warning. Do keep this in mind depending on the situation/environment where you are interviewing 🙂 How would you rate Rachelles Feedback? Anonymous Interview Answer “The companies that I have worked with so far had zero-tolerance policies for employees stealing from the company. I have always believed that I dont have an equivalent threshold towards people who are stealing from companies. So I would report the co-worker to my manager or supervisor.” Rachelles Feedback for the Answer Above Reporting dishonesty as per the companys policies is a very smart approach to this question. If you have ever encountered a situation like this, its an excellent opportunity to give a brief story-based example. How would you rate Rachelles Feedback? Anonymous Interview Answer “I walked in on a manager who was pocketing money from the cash register. I knew I needed to make the owner of the store aware so I reported the incident. The owner held a meeting with the manager and me; the manager denied the action. The owner informed us that cash was missing occasionally from the register so he installed a camera to put an end to the stealing.” Marcies Feedback for the Answer Above Wow. That sounds pretty stressful! Its great that youre able to provide an example of a time when you handled this sort of situation successfully. Did you learn anything from this experience that you would change in the future? How was your relationship with the manager after this happened? Were there other ways you could have handled this? Showing self-awareness and that you thought about this situation after it happened would impress the interviewer as well. How would you rate Marcies Feedback? Anonymous Interview Answer “I would ask my coworker about what is being said first. Then if this was a true statement I would have to report it.” Amandas Feedback for the Answer Above Great job! I appreciate that you would take the initiative to talk directly with the person in question before reporting the issue. This demonstrates initiative and compassion for your coworker. However, honesty and integrity are foundational characteristics for every employee. Taking the next step to report the incident is also vital. You can give the interviewer more insight into your character with this question by talking about how you value honesty and sharing that you understand that dishonesty or stealing could hurt the company and negatively impact customers. How would you rate Amandas Feedback?

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FAQ

What would you do if you saw a customer stealing?

You should advise the shoplifter that the police are being called and call the police as soon as possible. The person making the arrest is under an obligation to present the shoplifter to the police as soon as possible so they can be dealt with according to the law.

What do you do when you catch an employee stealing?

What should you do if you suspect an employee of theft?

Ask the employee to explain.
Ask the employee to take a polygraph test.
Decide whether to: press criminal charges. seek restitution. discipline the employee. fire the employee.