Twenty per cent of British employees commit fraud against employers.

According to a survey by employee expenses service provider GlobalExpense, 20 per cent of employees in the UK admit to padding expense claims with the average added to each falsified claim being £14.

GlobalExpense also found that 95 per cent of employers never investigated expense reports for being too high.

Of the individuals polled, 28 per cent said they would defraud their employer if they did not get paid a fair wage. One in ten said they believed fraud was justified during the Christmas season.

Chief executive of Action Against Business Crime, Mike Schuck, told personneltoday.com,  "The Christmas conditions don't change the ability to commit fraud, just whether financial conditions force staff to do irresponsible things.”

"Usually at this time of year, employees are so run off their feet they often don't have time to even consider it."