There is nothing wrong with being extra cautious especially when you are the employer. According to statistics, about 75% of employees have stolen from their employer once and about 38% have stolen at least twice. And so workplace theft is more common than most small business owners think. Small businesses tend to be vulnerable to employee fraud because they don’t have procedures in place to prevent it. But we cannot generalize all workplaces and there are some ways to check aside from getting private investigator services.
Here are signs to identify employee theft:
1. Change in Lifestyle
If you have noticed that your employee got a new car, new TV, and new house but you didn’t give him/her a substantial raise, maybe you can ask where it did come from. If you don’t want to offend your employee, you can always hire private investigation companies to help you out.
2. Change in Work Habits
When you notice that the employee who used to hate mornings now comes to work long before anybody else arrives and stays much later. We are not saying that it is bad; it is actually good but if you are suspecting something fishy is going on, then you can ask yourself if your employee is stealing in the workplace.
3. Wants Independence
Some people work better on their own but if that otherwise outgoing employee suddenly decides that they want to work in a more quiet atmosphere, that could be a red flag.
4. Makes a New Friend
There is nothing wrong with being friendly, but if you start seeing two employees strike up a new friendship and they are both acting a little odd, you can investigate or start checking for private investigator services.
5. Makes Friends with a Vendor
As mentioned, there is nothing wrong with your employee being friendly, but giving away free tickets and nice meals without your consent to your clients could indicate that the employee has been pushing business in exchange for some gifts that he/she should not have.
6. Strange Cars or Person Showing Up
If a strange person starts to show up at your workplace, write down the license plate and get ready to possibly call the police, especially if they are around a dumpster or other place that may indicate they are picking something up with your employee. To ease your panic, you can contact private investigation companies to check.
7. Problem with the Books
If you notice that something is not making sense in the books, or there are some suspicious ledger entries. One might be an honest mistake but 2 times or more could indicate something is going on.
What to do as an employer
Thinking before acting is essential in times like this. If you have evidence of theft from your employees, document the proof. If the pieces of evidence are substantial, call the police and report the theft. When you terminate the employee, follow the correct procedure in your employee handbook. In addition, take precautions before terminating the employee to protect company data and to prevent the individual from trying to cover up proof of their misdeeds.
