Colleague stealing

Tell your employer asap. You have a duty to do that before any other consideration. If there is an acceptable explanation your employer will still recognise your loyalty to him and the business. And that is right.

I hope you've managed to sort this. What a horrible position to be in. Difficult as it is you must report your suspicions to the boss. Knowing about it and not saying anything could cause you even more stress and worry.
Be brave - you know it's the right thing to do, which isn't always the easiest thing to do.

Many years ago I was in a similar position when a member of my staff told me that in effect someone else was fiddling expenses. I was told this in a sort of jokey way whilst having a drink in the local pub. As manager I was also aware of immense difficulties this person was under at the time. I agonised over this and whether to take it any further but then decided that the person who told me was likely to tell others (which she was as she didn't see it as such a big deal) then I had no option but to report it up the chain of command. I did not want to be accused at some future date of condoning such behaviour and of course it was dishonest. Report it otherwise you're not doing the job you're being paid for.

Grannyben

Have no doubt. You are doing the right thing. Not speaking out is covering for a thief and you don't want that on your conscience...do you?

Why worry? You haven't taken the unaccounted for/missing stock and I should think that any employer would be pleased to have vigilant staff.
If the boss knows about it but has omitted to inform stock control, then it's a failing on his part.
Whether it's £500, £5k or £500k, it all matters.

deep breath, courage and do what you know you must. Keep it factual - produce figures and leave it to the boss.What's not to say it isn't just a mistake? no harm done. And if it is - this individual may be base enough to try and implicate someone else including you in any theft.
Let us know how you get on and big

I’m hoping you’ve resolved this and spoken to your boss by now.
However, just wanted to say I disagree with the advice upthread about notifying your colleague first to give them a chance to put it right. If they are deliberately thieving, there’s every chance that knowing you have sussed them, they could notify the boss first and alter records to make it look like you’d done it. ?

You'd have more to worry about if you noticed and didn't speak up!!! Might even implicate you. You like your job and your clean record, don't you?

It could just be a complete mistake(customer could have taken more when they collected?or some such?)But then if there is a reason,its up to the boss to find out why,then its up to him to listen to the persons excuse/reason,if there is one,and act accordingly.

If you don't mention this because it probably won't be noticed, then the person who is stealing may well feel bold enough to keep on until it is. You may well then have a situation where you will be asked why you hadn't noticed. It's not a good place to be I really do know what you are feeling as once I had to 'report' something a colleague had said purely because if I didn't someone else would have done so and they were raring to make it all a lot worse - I got in first and attempted to make it quite low key. The thing is you do know - and with that knowledge I can't see you have any real choice but to speak up, for the company and for yourself.

Ive only just seen this so i hope by now youve got this sorted out- yes i would have said i thought id miscalculated and got the boss to recheck,then it would be up to him,or else you may have been in trouble for not saying anything if it did come to light,surely you wouldnt have to relate the whole overhearing thing? Im sure your boss could work it out for himself from the invoice etc who is to blame? I dont imagine hes stupid by a long shot so he may even have an eye on this person himself already,due to past behaviour,but if you tell him some is 'miscalculated' then he can take it from there,as the boss,and at least he knows youre not 'in on it' with that person.Let us know how you get on, grannyben.

There could be an innocent explanation - an arrangement with the boss that you were unaware of, but whatever the cause - whether it is £500, £5,000, or £5 your boss needs to trust his staff and by covering up a possible theft you are letting him down. Furthermore, if it is a case of theft, the culprit, having got away with it once, will continue doing it.
Why are you concerned about shopping a thief? Do you think he will retaliate against you? All you have to say to the boss is that you cannot trace what happened to such and such stock, then it is in his hands.

It might be too late now but wouldn’t it be better to mention to your colleague that you had noticed the missing items? Give him a chance to rectify or explain or stop before you tell on him?

Just as we are meant to help the police to enforce the law we should also bring evidence of theft to the attention of our employer.

Good luck GrannyBen - I hope it goes ok tomorrow.

If he isn't stopped, your colleague will do it again and your employer will lose even more. You have to tell the boss.

Willow500 has given you good advice.

I've been in the position, over 25 years ago, of noticing a discrepancy which was eventually found to be somebody's dishonesty. I just mentioned it to the boss and asked "innocently" if there had been a mistake. The issue got resolved.

Thank you bluebelle

For what it’s worth I agree too Don’t paint your own past difficulties into this picture it will wrongly colour it
You wouldn’t sleep if you didn’t say something it would play over and over like a stuck record
Good luck

Thank you sodapop

Yes I agree with Willow500 you have to mention this
The calculation error seems like good way to go.
Good luck.

Thank you MissA. I've tried to be a bit vague

We order some items in for people and they are tracked and accounted for 100%. Other items are brought in on a pallet and are sold "off the shelf". It's these items which are really impossible to track (builders merchants goods).
It's highly likely anyone would ever miss the items, I'm only aware because I overheard the employee talking to the customer about the goods they were going to get and, today, I saw the invoice with a whole section of goods which we supplied missing. If I hadn't overheard their conversation i would have been non the wiser

It might be best not to disclose that, seeing as how threads can end up elsewhere.

What sort of stock?