It’s not a fun thing to think about, but there’s always the potential that your employees could be stealing from you. The more employees you take on, the bigger the chances of there being a rogue influence in there who thinks it’s OK to do. It doesn’t matter what they’re stealing; whether it’s a cable or two or huge equipment, it’s a problem. You need to be able to identify what’s going on before it escalates into something much bigger. Here are four signs to look out for.
You Notice Missing Items
Hey, this might be obvious but it’s the biggest sign of all! If you start noticing items missing from the office, you’re probably not losing your mind! You need to protect your business with fidelity bonds so that employee theft can be accounted for. At first, it might be a RAM stick or a hard drive you can’t find. Then, you might start noticing piles of spare laptops missing. If you don’t know who is stealing from you, protect your company with that piece of mind until you can figure out who it is.
They Change Their Work Habits
If you’ve had a model employee for the last year who always turned up at the same time, take note if their habits change. There are loads of reasons why this could be happening, particularly if circumstances have changed at home. However, if they’re staying late and they’re in the office on their own, do you know what’s going on? If they’re coming into work late and they seem disinterested, they might also be more willing to commit a few minor crimes of the workplace. Just keep an eye on it — don’t interrogate them.
They’re Away From Their Desk A Lot
Not everyone sits at their desk all day depending on what type of job they have, but this is another important area to focus on. Colleagues might even come to you in confidence and talk about this. Again, you don’t know why this might be, but maybe take a few more trips to their part of the office now and again. If you know they aren’t at their desk, go for a quick stroll and see what they’re up to. It might be harmless, but it’s best to find out now.
Failing To Provide Expenses And Financial Information
In some cases, you’ll need employees to travel, and that requires placing a lot of trust in them. Sometimes, they won’t see fit to repay that trust, and they’ll take advantage of business mileage and vehicles. Remember, anything is stealing, even if it’s making a few personal trips on business time. If they’re hesitant to provide you with mileage information or petrol receipts, it might be worth questioning them about it.
Don’t be paranoid about your employees all the time. There’s no need to be worried unless you’ve got a real hunch that something is going on. It’s important to treat your employees with respect, and not interrogate them unless you’ve got concrete proof. Hopefully, you’ll never face this sort of scenario, but if you do, you should feel adequately prepared to deal with it.
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