Here’s a side effect of the down economy you may not have seen coming: More workers are stealing from their employers than in previous years.

One in five employers polled last month said employee theft has become a problem in recent months, according to the Institute for Corporate Productivity.

And it’s not just employees taking pens and paper clips home with them. When asked if they’d seen a rise in monetary theft this year — such as fraudulent expense reports or just missing cash — 18% of employers said yes. Another 41% aren’t sure.

Almost a quarter said they’ve seen more employees grab non-monetary items like office supplies and retail products.

Tags: economy, employee theft