The results of the survey by office design company Maris Interiors showed 76% of employees have stolen from their place of work. Men are particularly light-fingered, with an astonishing 82% admitting to helping themselves, compared to 71% of women.

The stationery cupboard was hardest hit, with pens (60%) and printer paper (42%) being the most commonly pilfered.
Stamps (31%), mugs (28%) and toilet paper (24%) were also frequently taken items. The stapler - often thought of as a frequent target of office thieves - was only taken by 6% of those surveyed.

One in twenty employees admitted to having taken more valuable items - ranging from printer toner to laptops. More unusual items declared included chairs and office plants, even filing cabinets, carpet tiles and entire desks.

Maris Interiors Chairman Michael Howard said "We all know that the stationery cupboard suffers a bit - but we were extremely surprised that the numbers were quite so high. The mind boggles why someone would take their desk home - not to mention quite how they managed it."