Where is the line drawn between using office supplies for personal use and stealing?

Top Employee Response

If the office supply cannot be replaced for less than $2, then I would consider it stealing.

never use them for personal reasons

You should never

An employee is due and shall not take any compensation for employment other than salary and fringes.

I'm not sure there is a way to draw a hard line that fits every work environment. However, I find myself repeatedly coming back to the same question when I use office supplies for my own purposes: "Would I be comfortable with the rest of the company knowing about this?" If the answer is no, then I have probably crossed the line.

When you start stockpiling supplies at home...

Just dont take too much

Don’t take them home with you

There is never an acceptable time to take office supplies for personal use.

If you take it home, it's stealing. If you work from home a good amount it's fine, but taking supplies from the office and using them for personal reasons at home is theft.

Taking more than you need for work is stealing