A discussion about business ethics, character traits, integrity, and values

A convenience store where I was assistant manager was robbed one night. Although I had a perfect alibi – I was at an all-night Beatles moviefest – we all had to take lie detector tests to show we weren’t in on it. I failed mine, because when I was asked if I ever stole anything from an employer, I lied and said that I had not. Busted. In the follow-up interview, I explained that a place I had previously worked had a large bowl of Tootsie Rolls for customers, and I sometimes would sneak one and eat it. With that information, the test was readministered and I passed easily.

Stealing is generally a bad idea, especially from your employer, but Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, disagrees.

“Office supplies are in important part of your total compensation package,” Adams writes in The Dilbert Principle. “If God didn’t want people to steal office supplies he wouldn’t have given us briefcases, purses and pockets. In fact, no major religion specifically bans the pilfering of office supplies. (Some religious scholars will debate my interpretation, but ultimately it’s a matter of faith.)”