If you suspect that one or a number of your employees are committing theft, it’s time you got to the bottom of things. Don’t let people take advantage. To help identify if there is a cause for concern, here are five signs of employee theft and what you can do about it.
Missing Equipment
When you run a business, you’re often too busy to notice when something goes missing. But if you or anyone else in your company starts to notice that things are absent, don’t shrug it off — make a mental note instead. If that spare laptop has disappeared, or your product counts seem off, your employees could be stealing from you. If you don’t have security cameras to monitor activity, it can be hard to determine exactly what is going on when you’re not there.
Early Morning or Late Night Workers
Has one of your staff started to work later than normal? Pressing deadlines can keep workers behind, but when it’s unusual or not justified, you should be concerned. If you have any staff coming in hours early or staying later than everyone else, make a mental note to check if anything is missing around the office or in the safe.
Accounting Errors
Mistakes happen, but if accounting errors are popping up all over the place, you need to question what’s really going on. If one employee is consistently claiming lost receipts, overtime hours, and excessive expense reports, it’s a sign that something is not right and it’s time to investigate further.
Increase in Damages
Do you have any procedures in place to deal with damaged items? If not, items could easily be reported as damaged and then pocketed. If you notice more items being reported as damaged than normal, or what looks like “computer errors” in your stock counts, it’s a good idea to start monitoring the activity in your business.
Stock Discrepancies
Similar to the above point, if you run a retail store or warehouse and notice that your counts don’t equal your products sold, it could be a sign of employee theft. This also happens in offices where office and party supply are not regularly accounted for. Without a system in place to effectively track stock, monitor the area and hold people responsible for accuracy, theft can easily flourish.
Small businesses are vulnerable to employee theft because they don’t always have the proper procedures or systems in place to prevent it. That’s why you need to pay attention and take the time to develop clear policies and improve the security in your workplace. At Bee Alarmed, we offer tailored security systems for your business. Contact us today for a free business evaluation, and we’ll help you get the security you need to prevent employee theft for good.