Employee Theft – 3
Training to reduce employee theft -3 WC Blog 782
How Much Do You Know About Preventing Employee Theft? – Part 1
I have a short quiz for readers to see what you know about employee theft:
1. True or False – An employment application and interview are sufficient to identify candidates who would be dishonest if hired
2. True or False – Employee theft includes only merchandise or money
3. True or False – Employee theft cases are no more detrimental than a shoplifting case
4. True or False – Cameras will keep employees from stealing
5. True or False – If caught in the act of stealing a dishonest employee will usually confess about their crimes
6. True or False – Any manager will be able to tell if a store employee is stealing
7. True or False – A dishonest employee usually works alone
8. True or false – Only new employees steal from their employer
9. True or False – Dishonest workers are sullen, quiet and keep to themselves
10. True or False – If an employee or job candidate wants to steal there is nothing an employer can do to prevent it.
Now let’s check your answers to the questions with one caveat. If you do not get 100% you should consider training to reduce employee theft offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
1. False – Applicants can lie on job applications and exaggerate about their experience or education level. During an interview a charming candidate can sound really good until they are hired and you learn the truth.
2. False – Employees can steal time by having someone clock in for them when they are not at work. They can steal customer’s credit cards and gift cards. Dishonest employees can steal from other employees. There are lots of ways employees steal that would not be considered the traditional theft cases.
3. False – The average shoplifting dollars per case was $559. The average employee theft case was $1,203.16 (Information from pg. 11 and 12 of the 2018 National Retail Security Survey.
4. False – Cameras may deter employees when they are first installed or when an employee is new on the job but over time the deterrence value diminishes.
5. False – It takes an experienced investigator to get a full confession from a dishonest person. They may admit to the theft they have been caught in but it is rare to catch a dishonest employee the first time they have ever engaged in theft. A manager or store owner can lose a lot of money if they don’t know how to investigate or interview an employee who is stealing.
6. False – While there are some workers who steal and are not very good at it and are easily caught there are many more who are incredibly sneaky and know how to cover their tracks. Experienced Loss Prevention investigators are the best solution if it is suspected an employee is stealing.
7. False – A dishonest employee may start off stealing for themselves but frequently they involve other employees or friends and family. It can be a very costly affair for retailers.
8. False – It is not uncommon for someone who has been a hard worker to fall into a bad situation. It may be drug or alcohol related, financial burdens or some other hardship that may lead to a long-term employee to suddenly deciding that theft will solve their problem.
9. False – Some of the most outgoing and friendly employees are the people who are stealing. By building a friendly relationship they are actually using the trust of the manager to their advantage. It is easy to trust someone who is likeable and feeds our egos.
10. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! – You can reduce the chance of an employee stealing when you use pre-employment drug screening, employee background checks and invest in training to reduce employee theft.
Now, even if you did get all of the questions correct chances are you could still use the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. The training they offer will greatly reduce the chances of a staff member taking advantage of your business and you!
In Part 2 we are going to expand on each of the ten points discussed in the quiz. Training should always be ongoing. We never know everything about any subject and often we forget what we may have heard in a short seminar. Training to reduce employee theft and other offerings as well as investigations, background checks and pre-employment drug screening combined can give a decided edge to the employer who utilizes them.
For more information about training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
I have a short quiz for readers to see what you know about employee theft:
1. True or False – An employment application and interview are sufficient to identify candidates who would be dishonest if hired
2. True or False – Employee theft includes only merchandise or money
3. True or False – Employee theft cases are no more detrimental than a shoplifting case
4. True or False – Cameras will keep employees from stealing
5. True or False – If caught in the act of stealing a dishonest employee will usually confess about their crimes
6. True or False – Any manager will be able to tell if a store employee is stealing
7. True or False – A dishonest employee usually works alone
8. True or false – Only new employees steal from their employer
9. True or False – Dishonest workers are sullen, quiet and keep to themselves
10. True or False – If an employee or job candidate wants to steal there is nothing an employer can do to prevent it.
Now let’s check your answers to the questions with one caveat. If you do not get 100% you should consider training to reduce employee theft offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc.
1. False – Applicants can lie on job applications and exaggerate about their experience or education level. During an interview a charming candidate can sound really good until they are hired and you learn the truth.
2. False – Employees can steal time by having someone clock in for them when they are not at work. They can steal customer’s credit cards and gift cards. Dishonest employees can steal from other employees. There are lots of ways employees steal that would not be considered the traditional theft cases.
3. False – The average shoplifting dollars per case was $559. The average employee theft case was $1,203.16 (Information from pg. 11 and 12 of the 2018 National Retail Security Survey.
4. False – Cameras may deter employees when they are first installed or when an employee is new on the job but over time the deterrence value diminishes.
5. False – It takes an experienced investigator to get a full confession from a dishonest person. They may admit to the theft they have been caught in but it is rare to catch a dishonest employee the first time they have ever engaged in theft. A manager or store owner can lose a lot of money if they don’t know how to investigate or interview an employee who is stealing.
6. False – While there are some workers who steal and are not very good at it and are easily caught there are many more who are incredibly sneaky and know how to cover their tracks. Experienced Loss Prevention investigators are the best solution if it is suspected an employee is stealing.
7. False – A dishonest employee may start off stealing for themselves but frequently they involve other employees or friends and family. It can be a very costly affair for retailers.
8. False – It is not uncommon for someone who has been a hard worker to fall into a bad situation. It may be drug or alcohol related, financial burdens or some other hardship that may lead to a long-term employee to suddenly deciding that theft will solve their problem.
9. False – Some of the most outgoing and friendly employees are the people who are stealing. By building a friendly relationship they are actually using the trust of the manager to their advantage. It is easy to trust someone who is likeable and feeds our egos.
10. ABSOLUTELY FALSE! – You can reduce the chance of an employee stealing when you use pre-employment drug screening, employee background checks and invest in training to reduce employee theft.
Now, even if you did get all of the questions correct chances are you could still use the training opportunities offered by Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. The training they offer will greatly reduce the chances of a staff member taking advantage of your business and you!
In Part 2 we are going to expand on each of the ten points discussed in the quiz. Training should always be ongoing. We never know everything about any subject and often we forget what we may have heard in a short seminar. Training to reduce employee theft and other offerings as well as investigations, background checks and pre-employment drug screening combined can give a decided edge to the employer who utilizes them.
For more information about training to reduce employee theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
