We all know the story of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. He made his intentions very clear. He was taking back what rightfully belonged to the impoverished and mistreated people. He would never have stolen from his best mates, his family, or the lovely Maid Marian, as he was stealing back only what was owed to the people. He did not steal out of greed or desire. Robin Hood epitomized the ideal of honor amongst thieves.
Employee theft, from the eyes of the employees, is often regarded as a similar honorable action. Most employees who steal do not do so purely out of greed or desire. Even more employees would be insulted if asked if they would steal from a coworker. There is a certain detachment and justification that an employee mentally has when they steal from their employer.
The most common excuse an employee gives for why they steal is “because they owe me”. It is closely followed by “I am having financial hardship”. In both scenarios, the employee has justified why it is now ok to steal from their employer, when they would not even consider stealing from a co-worker.
The company is a larger entity. It is easier to dehumanize, where a co-worker is a name and a face and a personality. There is a lack of honor in stealing from someone personally. There is a different amount of honor retained if the victim is not a specific person, but rather the “company” or the “store”.
There are some people out there who have no qualms about stealing from their coworkers- especially when it comes to something valuable, or potentially untraceable such as cash. As such, it is important to provide your employees with a secure area to keep their belongings while they are on the clock working for you.
These theft incidents are fewer and less severe than the losses employees create when they steal cash or merchandise from their place of employment. The average admission to employee theft is well over a thousand dollars. When left undetected, it is not uncommon for an employee to be guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a several year employment.
That is the key right there. Employees who steal typically do not get away with a theft once and then never do it again. Employees will continue to steal. They will refine their methods; they will increase in both frequency and dollar amount taken. Employees typically will only stop stealing from your business if one of two things happen; they quit, or they get noticed. The chance that an employee who is siphoning off several hundred or thousands of dollars in undetected compensation is very unlikely to want to leave the scheme they have set up.
That means it is up to the store to detect what is going on. Since the employee stealing is probably not going to steal from a coworker, you might not get that glaring red flag that something is going on. The employee will do their best to fly under the radar and take only what they feel like they are owed to them- the modern day Robin Hood.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
We all know the story of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. He made his intentions very clear. He was taking back what rightfully belonged to the impoverished and mistreated people. He would never have stolen from his best mates, his family, or the lovely Maid Marian, as he was stealing back only what was owed to the people. He did not steal out of greed or desire. Robin Hood epitomized the ideal of honor amongst thieves.
Employee theft, from the eyes of the employees, is often regarded as a similar honorable action. Most employees who steal do not do so purely out of greed or desire. Even more employees would be insulted if asked if they would steal from a coworker. There is a certain detachment and justification that an employee mentally has when they steal from their employer.
The most common excuse an employee gives for why they steal is “because they owe me”. It is closely followed by “I am having financial hardship”. In both scenarios, the employee has justified why it is now ok to steal from their employer, when they would not even consider stealing from a co-worker.
The company is a larger entity. It is easier to dehumanize, where a co-worker is a name and a face and a personality. There is a lack of honor in stealing from someone personally. There is a different amount of honor retained if the victim is not a specific person, but rather the “company” or the “store”.
There are some people out there who have no qualms about stealing from their coworkers- especially when it comes to something valuable, or potentially untraceable such as cash. As such, it is important to provide your employees with a secure area to keep their belongings while they are on the clock working for you.
These theft incidents are fewer and less severe than the losses employees create when they steal cash or merchandise from their place of employment. The average admission to employee theft is well over a thousand dollars. When left undetected, it is not uncommon for an employee to be guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a several year employment.
That is the key right there. Employees who steal typically do not get away with a theft once and then never do it again. Employees will continue to steal. They will refine their methods; they will increase in both frequency and dollar amount taken. Employees typically will only stop stealing from your business if one of two things happen; they quit, or they get noticed. The chance that an employee who is siphoning off several hundred or thousands of dollars in undetected compensation is very unlikely to want to leave the scheme they have set up.
That means it is up to the store to detect what is going on. Since the employee stealing is probably not going to steal from a coworker, you might not get that glaring red flag that something is going on. The employee will do their best to fly under the radar and take only what they feel like they are owed to them- the modern day Robin Hood.
For more information on employee theft, employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase CCTV Systems that can help you stop Employee Theft and Internal Theft problems and help with your Employee Theft Investigation.
California has legislation that will ban the practice of giving single use, plastic bags to carry purchased products from a store. Instead, grocers an the like will be required to have reusable shopping bags available for customer purchase, or charge a minimal fee per paper bag used to carry purchases. While there are many concerns posed to this new regulation, one of them is whether making customers carry their own bags around the store with them will lead to an increase in shoplifting incidents.
The concept of a reusable shopping bag is not new. Many grocers and retailers have been hopping on the “green” bandwagon for many years now. Some grocers in other states have even given a bag discount to shoppers who use their own bag instead of a paper or plastic one for the store. These stores who have voluntarily been encouraging their shoppers to bring reusable bags with them have not publicly reported an increase to their shrink numbers as a result, but that does not mean that those incidents are not happening.
As more retailers sell reusable bags, customers are bringing those same bags along with them on other shopping trips. Even if your particular store does not sell or encourage reusable bags, you can plan on their usage at some point in your store as their popularity with shoppers increases.
This is a prime example of how retail theft prevention needs to be more than a simple EAS device. It needs to stay on top of current trends to understand how different methods of loss can affect your store so you can be prepared to stop shoplifting.
To tackle the issue of shoplifters utilizing a shopping bag to conceal and steal merchandise, one must understand that this is not a new concept. Shoplifters have been using their own backpacks, purses, and duffels to steal product well before reusable bags became popular. Another trick was for shoplifters to take store plastic bags from cash wrap and then stuff merchandise into those- making it seem like they had actually purchased the items inside.
The flip side is that many legitimate customers come back into a store with a store plastic bag with merchandise to be returned. Sometimes the customer will take the bag and the product through the sales floor to find the merchandise they would like to exchange it with.
Because of this and other customer service issues, simply prohibiting customers from walking around the store with bags is not only a logistical nightmare but is not a practical or efficient was to stop shoplifting. In fact you will probably loose more paying customers by offending them, than you will deter shoplifters.
Actual shoplifters are sneaky, and will only hide their bags until they need to conceal merchandise within them, if all bags are prohibited on the sales floor. A better option is to allow customers to keep their bags with them, but maintain vigilance on how they are used. A warning flag would be if the customers are opening their bags or putting things inside of them. Most typical shoppers will keep all of their bags folded up together (or folded inside one of their bags) until it is time to check out.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
California has legislation that will ban the practice of giving single use, plastic bags to carry purchased products from a store. Instead, grocers an the like will be required to have reusable shopping bags available for customer purchase, or charge a minimal fee per paper bag used to carry purchases. While there are many concerns posed to this new regulation, one of them is whether making customers carry their own bags around the store with them will lead to an increase in shoplifting incidents.
The concept of a reusable shopping bag is not new. Many grocers and retailers have been hopping on the “green” bandwagon for many years now. Some grocers in other states have even given a bag discount to shoppers who use their own bag instead of a paper or plastic one for the store. These stores who have voluntarily been encouraging their shoppers to bring reusable bags with them have not publicly reported an increase to their shrink numbers as a result, but that does not mean that those incidents are not happening.
As more retailers sell reusable bags, customers are bringing those same bags along with them on other shopping trips. Even if your particular store does not sell or encourage reusable bags, you can plan on their usage at some point in your store as their popularity with shoppers increases.
This is a prime example of how retail theft prevention needs to be more than a simple EAS device. It needs to stay on top of current trends to understand how different methods of loss can affect your store so you can be prepared to stop shoplifting.
To tackle the issue of shoplifters utilizing a shopping bag to conceal and steal merchandise, one must understand that this is not a new concept. Shoplifters have been using their own backpacks, purses, and duffels to steal product well before reusable bags became popular. Another trick was for shoplifters to take store plastic bags from cash wrap and then stuff merchandise into those- making it seem like they had actually purchased the items inside.
The flip side is that many legitimate customers come back into a store with a store plastic bag with merchandise to be returned. Sometimes the customer will take the bag and the product through the sales floor to find the merchandise they would like to exchange it with.
Because of this and other customer service issues, simply prohibiting customers from walking around the store with bags is not only a logistical nightmare but is not a practical or efficient was to stop shoplifting. In fact you will probably loose more paying customers by offending them, than you will deter shoplifters.
Actual shoplifters are sneaky, and will only hide their bags until they need to conceal merchandise within them, if all bags are prohibited on the sales floor. A better option is to allow customers to keep their bags with them, but maintain vigilance on how they are used. A warning flag would be if the customers are opening their bags or putting things inside of them. Most typical shoppers will keep all of their bags folded up together (or folded inside one of their bags) until it is time to check out.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase Anti-Shoplifting devices and your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system from Checkpoint Systems to stop shoplifting in your store.
For more information on Anti-Shoplifting, Checkpoint Labels, a Checkpoint Security System, Checkpoint Security Tags, Checkpoint Systems, or Checkpoint Tags and how they can work with your Electronic Article Surveillance or EAS system contact us at Retail theft prevention to Stop Shoplifting in your store or call 1.770.426.0547
Employee background checks are a fair way to validate information from a potential job applicant. Because there is no bias into the information found, this data can provide a better insight into the true nature of a job applicant. Typically, these checks will validate things like education and degree completion, employment with a specific company, and length of employment and job position. There might also be a criminal background check that looks for convictions (not arrests) within a court of law.
When this information can be determined, employers have another resource to determine if they want to hire a particular candidate. It also provides an incentive for a job candidate to be honest about whom they claim to be, as an employee background check should uncover any discrepancies.
So what happens if you cannot validate an applicant’s claims? As thorough as most checks are, sometimes there are pieces of information that cannot be substantiated. It is a result of a lack of data that has been reported. While many larger companies report employment histories to reporting agencies, some smaller businesses do not report.
Additionally, employees who have had their employment terminated for theft, but are not prosecuted, may not show up on reports for theft. It may show that the employment was terminated, but the reason might not be disclosed. In fact, for many companies, the actual reason for employee separation may not be revealed.
Previous employers have been successfully sued in the past for disclosing negative information about an employee. The judgments usually state that the employee is unfairly discriminated against when they seek future employment. The end result is that the next employer may know that the employee was terminated, but has no idea if it was for something as innocuous as absences, or something bigger like violence or theft.
Just because a previous employer does not, or will not report specifics about an employee does not mean you have no recourse to protect yourself and your business from a potentially bad hire. You may ask the employee why they left a certain company. You can ask them to disclose what they liked or disliked about their last job- that may lead to their sharing of information that gives you a better understanding of what was going on behind the scenes.
I recently had an applicant come in who had switched jobs every six months or so. After a combination of interviews and employee background checks it was revealed that the employee had been caught stealing at a previous job, and they were making him pay back the restitution. This employee then started stealing at several of his next employers to pay back the original employer’s restitution.
We had a hard time determining any information at first. The employee had worked for several small businesses that did not have any reporting systems in place. It wasn’t until we found the tiniest blip on the radar from the employee he stole from first. The only way we figured out what was going on was because his checks were being garnished for the restitution.
Even if we had not been able to uncover the previous thefts, we might still have turned down this applicant because of his quick turn around at his employers. We were looking for an employee who could reasonably give us a year’s worth of employment, not a month or two.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
Employee background checks are a fair way to validate information from a potential job applicant. Because there is no bias into the information found, this data can provide a better insight into the true nature of a job applicant. Typically, these checks will validate things like education and degree completion, employment with a specific company, and length of employment and job position. There might also be a criminal background check that looks for convictions (not arrests) within a court of law.
When this information can be determined, employers have another resource to determine if they want to hire a particular candidate. It also provides an incentive for a job candidate to be honest about whom they claim to be, as an employee background check should uncover any discrepancies.
So what happens if you cannot validate an applicant’s claims? As thorough as most checks are, sometimes there are pieces of information that cannot be substantiated. It is a result of a lack of data that has been reported. While many larger companies report employment histories to reporting agencies, some smaller businesses do not report.
Additionally, employees who have had their employment terminated for theft, but are not prosecuted, may not show up on reports for theft. It may show that the employment was terminated, but the reason might not be disclosed. In fact, for many companies, the actual reason for employee separation may not be revealed.
Previous employers have been successfully sued in the past for disclosing negative information about an employee. The judgments usually state that the employee is unfairly discriminated against when they seek future employment. The end result is that the next employer may know that the employee was terminated, but has no idea if it was for something as innocuous as absences, or something bigger like violence or theft.
Just because a previous employer does not, or will not report specifics about an employee does not mean you have no recourse to protect yourself and your business from a potentially bad hire. You may ask the employee why they left a certain company. You can ask them to disclose what they liked or disliked about their last job- that may lead to their sharing of information that gives you a better understanding of what was going on behind the scenes.
I recently had an applicant come in who had switched jobs every six months or so. After a combination of interviews and employee background checks it was revealed that the employee had been caught stealing at a previous job, and they were making him pay back the restitution.This employee then started stealing at several of his next employers to pay back the original employer’s restitution.
We had a hard time determining any information at first. The employee had worked for several small businesses that did not have any reporting systems in place. It wasn’t until we found the tiniest blip on the radar from the employee he stole from first. The only way we figured out what was going on was because his checks were being garnished for the restitution.
Even if we had not been able to uncover the previous thefts, we might still have turned down this applicant because of his quick turn around at his employers. We were looking for an employee who could reasonably give us a year’s worth of employment, not a month or two.
To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
