Occupational offenses involve using one’s legal occupation to commit illegal acts, often for financial gain and at the expense of the employer. They are a form of white-collar crime and can range from minor theft to large-scale embezzlement. Occupational crimes are distinct from workplace crimes and occupational deviancy. The severity of consequences for occupational crimes depends on the extent of damage to the company.
An occupational offense occurs when an individual uses his or her legal occupation to commit an illegal act. For example, theft is considered a form of professional crime when you take advantage of your employment to steal from your employer. Occupational crimes generally fall into the broader category of white-collar crimes. White-collar crimes are almost exclusively financial in nature and are usually committed by people of respectable social standing. Both are generally non-violent and aim for personal gain rather than harming another person.
There are two main traits that characterize almost all professional crimes. Professional crimes almost always involve an economic gain for the person who commits the crime. Such crimes also harm the perpetrator’s employer, usually through the loss of finances or assets. A professional offense can be as minor as the theft of office supplies or as serious as the large-scale embezzlement of company funds.
Occupational crimes are closely related to both occupational crimes and professional deviance, but there are significant differences that separate the three forms of crime. Professional crime almost always involves a desire for financial gain or at least an attempt to avoid financial loss. The term “workplace crime” is usually used to refer to standard criminal activity, such as assault or rape, committed in the workplace. The opportunities offered by the nature or location of the work activity do not necessarily contribute to the crime in cases of crime at work. Occupational deviancy involves inappropriate behavior in the workplace such as sexual harassment or drinking while on the job.
Your ability to commit professional crimes does not depend on your position within a company, but some crimes are more likely to be committed by people of significant status. A waiter, for example, might misreport tips or pocket money instead of putting them in a cash register, but probably couldn’t embezzle significant sums of money, as an individual with access to a company’s corporate accounts might. Bigger crimes, though, have greater stakes; an individual who steals millions of dollars will face a much greater penalty than one who steals office supplies.
The consequences for occupational crime vary greatly depending on the employer and the extent of the damage to the company. Minor offenses such as petty theft may not even result in dismissal; they could simply result in suspension. More significant offenses that cause greater harm to the company can result in dismissal, fines or even prison time.
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