Employee theft is a real problem that affects a number of small business owners. A loss of revenue is the most significant concern with employee theft, but identifying the theft is often the greatest problem. However, there are some cues that can help you pinpoint this activity. Discover some key indicators that you should not ignore.
Working More Often
Look for employees that all the sudden want to work more hours, even when the extra workload may not be necessary. For example, an employee that wants to stay overnight to stock or perform an inventory may be questionable. If you notice that each time the employee performs this extra work, you seem to be short on merchandise, this red flag is not one to ignore.
Excessive Small Expenses
Employee theft comes in all different forms. Sometimes an employee may try to steal from the company by claiming more expenses than they have incurred. For example, the employee might request mileage for a trip that they did not take. However, the expense amounts will typically be small, but they will be often. The employee may keep the sum small in an effort to keep the expenses under the radar. For example, if management approval is only required for expenses over $50, they may keep all their transactions under this amount.
New Relationships
You want your employees to establish a good relationship with your vendors. However, you want to be watchful when the employee is too eager to get close to these individuals. The employee may be trying to get close to the vendor in an effort to steal or get some type of incentive. For example, the employee might tell the vendor what time to deliver and pay them a small fee so that they can steal some of the merchandise before you can perform an inventory on it.
Hire a Professional
If you suspect employee theft, it's critical you hire a professional investigator. Even though your employee may be engaging in illegal activity, the individual does have rights. You cannot simply accuse the person of stealing if you do not have proof and you cannot take certain actions to monitor their activities without violating their privacy. Hiring an investigator is the best route because not only do they know what information to look for, but they know how to perform the investigation in a manner that is within the standards of the law.
Don't let employee theft bankrupt your business. Take immediate steps to detect and control this behavior by contacting your local private investigation services.
Share4 November 2018
The laws governing child custody and guardianship can be confusing. As a family attorney, I have helped many clients gain legal guardianship over a foster child or a relative's child. Getting legal guardianship of a child you are caring for is important because you need to be able to make decisions about that child's education, health care and other matters. This blog will help you navigate the world of legal guardianship and show you how to take steps to get guardianship over a child whether the child's parents are cooperative or not. Legal guardianship does matter even if a child is not going to be adopted. I hope to help people find the way to get this done.
