Theft Never a Good Career Move
Interns Beware of Ba Advice
A 28-year-old advertising copywriter in Portland, OR has set out to help members of her generation become full-fledged grown-ups. In Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy (ish) Steps, Kelly Williams Brown summarizes the most important advice she thinks her peers should know as they become adults. It includes No. 176: “Do not steal more than $3 worth of office supplies per quarter.”
What’s my advice to interns, summer associates and new hires? When you're starting work, don’t steal anything from work.
Many years ago, I briefly worked as an associate chef at the White House. One weekend, a fellow associate chef, decided to take some groceries home. Specifically, he took a beef tenderloin. After the executive chef returned to work on Monday and asked, “Where’s the beef,” an investigation ensued. Eventually my colleague confessed.
It didn’t occur to me at the time—though later I was reminded—that the beef tenderloin was government property. By taking it, technically, my colleague had committed a federal offense. His actions theoretically could have landed him in federal prison.
What Do You Need to Know?
Employers expect interns and summer associates to make mistakes. Don’t make a stupid one. Stealing office supplies is dumb. Real professionals don’t do it.
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