Employee stealing from a food bank

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NC'd for this. I run a food bank. I have a (paid) assistant Mary, along with lots of volunteers. My assistant used to be a volunteer, for context, but this is now her first proper job. She's on the autistic spectrum but very high-functioning. She is due to leave at the end of this month (travel, then uni). She's 19.

Anyway - I'm pretty sure she's stealing stock. Not donations from the public, but corporate type donations - bulk packs of biscuits, crisps etc. Always treat-y things rather than the (many) more mundane foods we have. Eg we receive two boxes of Dairy Milk at 2pm on Monday, I see them on the shelf, I head off at 3.30 and leave Mary there to finish whatever task - and when I come back in at 7 the next morning, one of the boxes is open and two large bars are missing. That sort of thing, again and again. On some of these occasions other people are in too, but the common denominator is Mary (and she'd always be the one in last/locking up). It's also extended to leaving the wrappers lying around on occasion, which is both dumb and infuriating.

Lives at home in a very well-off house, no expenses/money issues, no shortage of food - I'm quite certain. It feels, instinctively, like "teenage bottomless pit" type behaviour.

So:
Catch her out definitively?
Give her a vague but pointed chat about our stock and what it's for?
Say something before I wave her off at the end of the month?
Ignore?
Some other thing?

I don't think the value of what she's stealing is any great shakes, but a) really, who the hell steals from a food bank? b) theft is theft c) I trained her up and gave her a brilliant opportunity with this job, so I find it quite hurtful. I also would rather she learn her lesson now rather than when she's, I dunno, Chancellor of the Exchequer.

I don't have any other managers etc to bounce this off. I have trustees, who I suspect will leave it with me to make a decision as I see fit. WWYD?

Have you considered that she might have an eating disorder?

If she's only stealing treats and sugary things that suggests impulses that she's finding difficult to control - and may well be ashamed of.

I have very strong morals but also have had a mild eating disorder for most of my life and would steal chocolates/sweets from my friends. I would always replace them in their cupboards after I had done/replace what I had taken but I literally couldn't stop myself from eating it.

So maybe tread carefully if you do speak with her.

Not to jump to conclusions, but you said one of her parents is a GP. Perhaps she has disordered eating, or has been told that certain things aren't healthy?
Then, through being ND, she may then not want to consume them in front of others?
I know it's creating whole backstories that may not be there - but there's obviously some reason she has for not feeling guilty in taking food from the supplies, knowing it's a food bank. So I'd tread a bit carefully, to make sure you don't accuse her if it is someone else, or to be able to rationally explain the wrongness of the behaviour in a way that then doesn't lose you a volunteer.

Sounds to me like typical, surly teen entitlement. I’d let her know that you will be checking bags and pockets and putting in CCTV if anything else goes missing, and police will be called.

You just need to see it one time, then you can dismiss her immediately (if you want) for gross misconduct. But for that you’ll need to see her both taking it and eating it/putting it in her bag and leaving the premises.

For what it’s worth a few cheap cameras might not help you this time, but they’ll be a good investment for the future.

From what you’ve written, it sounds like she doesn’t care you might be on to her, so I don’t think a team meeting approach is going to work, given you’ve already directly approached her.

She’s leaving next week, just chalk it up as a learning curve in staff management!

And if a reference request comes in from her in the future, just do the big standard ‘I can confirm that Ms X worked here as a X from X to X.’

I don’t think putting up a covert camera is the answer. What will happen with the footage when you confront her - it feels really impersonal and heavy handed when you pretty much know it’s her.
The to the ‘whole’ team thing is ok - but again you know who it is ( but probably worth doing anyway to remind everyone)!

I’d be in favour of the difficult conversation and honestly saying not asking :

Mary - I have re something to say which is difficult but I want to resolve this before you leave. I think that the items missing from the store ( eg xxxxx) have been taken by you - and you have eaten them. Taking from the food bank is not acceptable - what do you suggest we do now ? How can we move forward from this?

If you don't want to confront her, do a general mention to all staff that some boxes have been opened in the stock room and items aren't adding up so to leave boxes taped up until they need to come out of the stock room.

As an aside, if you have a solid team and you are almost certain it’s her, I’d avoid the team meeting route. It could sour a good team without any solid conclusion for the staff and cause unnecessary tension.

it feels really impersonal and heavy handed when you pretty much know it’s her

When a member of your staff is stealing from a charity you run, I’d say it would be within your rights to be impersonal and heavy handed!

Last thing! Cameras in the workplace mustn’t be covert!!! That would be classed as illegally filming someone!! Workplace cameras should always in places an open place.

Yes, this. Yes, she may lie, but she knows you know something's up. She'll either stop or be more careful. Either way she's out soon, but it's better to say something calm and direct so she doesn't think she can keep doing it without consequences.

a fair and valid point, I suppose I was thinking along the lines of - it isn't ok to eat during 'open' hours but it is ok to eat when I'm here alone and we're closed.

@NigellaAwesome
Please don't resort to nanny-cams or similar without explicitly briefing your staff and volunteers about them and what it could be used for. It is a major breach of privacy and fair procedures, and a breach of GDPR.

Just coming on to say this. The complexity around GDPR and video recordings is a lot!

Honestly I wouldn't let this go.

Stealing from a food bank is a new low. I know you're against cameras. It sounds like you already have definitive proof. But I would want to catch her

Perhaps announce you're leaving her alone for the rest of the day. Photograph everything. But come back unannounced as she leaves and ask to come back inside while you do a stock check.

Then if she has stuff on her. Or there's stuff missing. Or heaven forbid wrappers everywhere. Fire her for gross misconduct.

She needs to learn this is wrong and there are consequences.

Also maybe someone can advise on Whether that changes your requirement to give a reference. Or whether you can simply put she was fired for gross misconduct.

Her actions have consequences. Frankly it's quite grim she's doing this.

Change her shifts so she isn't last to leave or first to start. Or lock the treats away?

Do be aware that you can’t just put cameras up willy-nilly.

I'm not sure I'd want someone who didn't recognise that eating food from a food bank is morally wrong...however...an old teacher trick is, if you think a child has stolen something, you give them the responsibility of 'finding it' because you 'trust' them and then give them the opportunity to 'find' the item and self-correct their behaviour.

Could you not have a word with her and say you've noticed what you have and tell her you are secretly getting CCTV cameras in and until then could she keep an eye on things?

I will embarrass myself by admitting that when I was in college working in a video shop (remember those), I helped myself to chocolate bars meant to be stocked in the vending machine, and never considered this stealing, even though that is exactly what it was. I now put this down to extreme immaturity, although i was 19 and really should have known better😳.
A word to all the staff by the manager as suggested early on by pp would likely have made me realise the error of my ways.

If you ask her I should imagine she would think twice next time as I am assuming she would work out you are on to it?

You can't see the difference between that and food meant for hungry families in a food bank?

Write an untitled list of everything that has gone missing and the dates too (if you can remember them). Print it out as big as you can and stick it up in the stock room.

Ask her about the chocolate and see how she reacts.

Although, do you know for a fact that she lives in a well off house? Are those really her parent's occupations? Or is she telling porkies because her family has fallen on hard times and she is embarrassed (not that there is any shame in falling on hard times, but some people still get embarrassed about it).

Although, do you know for a fact that she lives in a well off house? Are those really her parent's occupations? Or is she telling porkies because her family has fallen on hard times and she is embarrassed (not that there is any shame in falling on hard times, but some people still get embarrassed about it).

I mean… no one ever knows what goes on behind closed doors really but I know, and my neighbours and friends know, quite a lot about the family, siblings, parents, and there are no indications of this. I’d also add, if she was going around helping herself to all our stock (ie making up a food parcel for herself) I’d likely quietly ignore it or see if we could up her hours and pay. But it’s only treat food.

Rather than an eating disorder etc could it be simply that she doesn't think chocolate, crisps etc are worthwhile items to go in a food parcel so she's not really doing any harm - because they're treaty, not nutritious/essential, and therefore a bit of a 'bonus' that won't be missed?

(Not my view, but it is something I've seen some people on MN espouse, so could quite easily be that she thinks the same?)

I honestly don't think privileged teenagers would think it's different @worraliberty.

It's not food you need to live - it's a treat. But also she may have a binge eating disorder and find it really really difficult to resist sneaking a couple of bars of chocolate. It's like putting an alcoholic in charge of the pub

I used to volunteer at a food bank. There was a manager there who used to take so much food. He had a chest freezer at home full of meat. It made me feel really uncomfortable especially as he was paid and also had another job and his wife worked too so they weren't on the breadline. Those of us who volunteered got a food bag and it was 7 items like everyone else. We did get extra bits and pieces now and again. He was there for the delivery so just helped himself, possibly all the managers were at it, I don't know!

Seriously?

My ASD son is high functioning, as is my mother. As a family we find this a useful term. (FWIW I have ADHD).

I find it really unhelpful when people try to stop others using this term. It's a useful distinction.