Preventing theft in the workplace: Field-experimental evidence from a peer monitoring intervention

Last registered on October 31, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Preventing theft in the workplace: Field-experimental evidence from a peer monitoring intervention
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014515
Initial registration date
October 04, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 07, 2024, 7:22 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
October 31, 2024, 3:14 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Germany
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Max Thon
Affiliation
University of Zurich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Matthias Heinz
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Oliver Gürtler
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Dirk Sliwka
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2024-10-01
End date
2024-10-31
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We are collaborating with a restaurant chain in Germany. This company offers a diverse range of beverage and food products across its numerous restaurants throughout the country. A significant challenge faced by the company is employee theft, specifically waiters accepting payment from customers without properly recording the transaction in the cashier system. In our field experiment, we will implement a randomized peer-monitoring measure within these restaurants. Specifically, in the treated restaurants, the group of individuals involved in processing a particular order is expanded. If these products are not properly recorded in the cashier system, it will now involve other colleagues, preventing the waiter from concealing the transaction. Additionally, we will conduct an employee survey to collect data aimed at identifying the underlying behavioral mechanisms.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Gürtler, Oliver et al. 2024. "Preventing theft in the workplace: Field-experimental evidence from a peer monitoring intervention." AEA RCT Registry. October 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14515-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
During breakfast time, the restaurant generates a significant amount of revenue through its breakfast buffet. This product is highly vulnerable to employee theft. Specifically, employees take the order and send guests to the buffet, which operates as a self-service. However, this creates an opportunity for employees to confirm the order, allow guests to eat from the buffet without recording the transaction in the cashier system, and then take the money during the payment process. Hot drinks and other beverages (excluding orange juice, which prior to the intervention is part of the buffet) need to be entered separately, as these items are prepared by the bar staff. The bar staff receive the order via a printed message at the front station once it is entered into the cashier system. For the intervention, the self-service orange juice is removed from the buffet and replaced with a free glass of orange juice, prepared by the bar. However, the printed order for the orange juice will only appear if the buffet product is properly entered into the cashier system. Therefore, if waiters attempt to take payment from guests without entering the product in the system, they would have to convince the bar staff to give them the orange juice without a printed order, which is not the standard procedure.
Intervention (Hidden)
During breakfast time, the restaurant generates a significant amount of revenue through its breakfast buffet. This product is highly vulnerable to employee theft. Specifically, employees take the order and send guests to the buffet, which operates as a self-service. However, this creates an opportunity for employees to confirm the order, allow guests to eat from the buffet without recording the transaction in the cashier system, and then take the money during the payment process. Hot drinks and other beverages (excluding orange juice, which prior to the intervention is part of the buffet) need to be entered separately, as these items are prepared by the bar staff. The bar staff receive the order via a printed message at the front station once it is entered into the cashier system. For the intervention, the self-service orange juice is removed from the buffet and replaced with a free glass of orange juice, prepared by the bar. However, the printed order for the orange juice will only appear if the buffet product is properly entered into the cashier system. Therefore, if waiters attempt to take payment from guests without entering the product in the system, they would have to convince the bar staff to give them the orange juice without a printed order, which is not the standard procedure.
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-01
Intervention End Date
2024-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Number of breakfast buffets recorded in the cashier system
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Number of breakfast buffets recorded in the cashier system

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Ratio buffet revenue to revenue from hot beverages, total revenue from breakfast buffets, total revenue during breakfast time, survey measures
(workplace climate, job satisfaction, engagement, turnover intention, manager satisfaction),
heterogeneity analyses with respect to previous monitoring intensity, turnover intention and
manager satisfaction.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
We run a baseline survey in which we elicit workplace climate, job satisfaction, engagement,
turnover intention, manager satisfaction and previous monitoring intensity. We aim to check
whether heterogeneous treatment effects occur with respect to these measures.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The orange juice is removed from the breakfast buffet and prepared by bar staff at a random subset of restaurants (see for details above in the section intervention). The intervention aimed to start at 01 October 2024. However, for the intervention the orange juice is served in special containers (glasses), which need to be delivered. It depends on delivery times and logistics when the treatment is exactly rolled out. It is intended around October 1, and at the latest the roll out should be completed around October 8. We do not know yet, which restaurants already started. We expect to receive this information around end next week.
Experimental Design Details
The orange juice is removed from the breakfast buffet and prepared by bar staff at a random subset of restaurants (see for details above in the section intervention). The intervention aimed to start at 01 October 2024. However, for the intervention the orange juice is served in special containers (glasses), which need to be delivered. It depends on delivery times and logistics when the treatment is exactly rolled out. It is intended around October 1, and at the latest the roll out should be completed around October 8. We do not know yet, which restaurants already started. We expect to receive this information around end next week.
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Restaurant level
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
35 Restaurants (We needed to remove 5 restaurants as they could not take part in the experiment. The reason is that we found out that they were part of a confounding change earlier that year. They already had implemented measures similar to the treatment in January, which we had not been informed of before.) We may evaluate the treatment effects on the waiter level as it allows us to
account for individual fixed-effects. However, we do not know yet how many waiters will work on the specific days.
Sample size: planned number of observations
16 in the control group and 19 in the treatment group
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
35 restaurants.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethical Review Board of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne
IRB Approval Date
2024-09-24
IRB Approval Number
240028MT
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials