Theft by employees is a problem whether you own a business run out of an office or a retail establishment. It’s a felony and costs business – and consumers – a great deal of money every year.
There are steps employers can take beginning with a thorough background check for new employees. It is not uncommon for big organizations to an HR due diligence checklist, but companies of all sizes should include a background check in their hiring process. This is especially true for key employees and those in vulnerable areas of the business.
Employee embezzlement can have a debilitating impact on a small business. In fact, some businesses are not able to recover from such a loss and the subsequent cost of legal action.
So what do you watch for?
- Employees who are often strapped for cash suddenly come to work in a new car or take a big vacation.
- Items and equipment go missing.
- There is an increase in returns or damaged product.
- Check and balance protocols are being side-stepped.
- A sudden change in employee habits. An employee starts to come in early or stay late on a regular basis.
Theft in the workplace can involve more than a single person, and often does. The computers used by workers are a good source of information to identify a thief and the extent of the crime. It is easy to replace one computer with another for the purpose of completing a computer forensic analysis. A forensic investigator completes a computer data forensics recovery to pull out files including reports, emails, text files and accounting information, even those the employee believes to have been deleted.
knows that the need for employee theft investigations leaves a bad taste in employer’s mouths, but ignoring your suspicions and avoiding the subject can be devastating for a business. It’s better to make the investigation and have suspicions resolved with truth.
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations
