There was a recent court ruling regarding employer vs. employee rights surrounding end of shift security training/ checks. It has been an ongoing battle between employers and employees as to who needs to pay for the time an employee spends having their bags checked as they leave the store. This could be a check at the end of an employees work shift, or as they leave the store for meal breaks.
Employees have long since contended that since they are required by their employer to have their bags (packages, purchases, etc) checked before they leave the store, then it is the employer’s responsibility to pay them for that time.
Employers, generally state that the check should take a very minimal quantity of time (often less than a minute to perform) under normal circumstances. They also maintain that if an employee is leaving the store with unpaid for merchandise in their possession, and they are no longer working/ clocked in, there is a stronger case against the employee for employee theft. If an employee is still clocked in, they could potentially state they have the product for a work related situation. It could then be argued that the employee is merely violating policy and procedure, but has no intent of theft.
The courts have now ruled with the employers that they do have a right to hold these security stops while the employee is off the clock. Employees will have to comply with these checks without being paid for their time.
Employers will now have official court rulings in their favor. This does not mean that employers can abuse this ruling and make employees wait for extended periods of time (off the clock) before they are checked out. Maintaining a certain level of respect for the employees will make for longer-term retail theft prevention.
Employees, who know they are being held accountable for their actions, and are shown that theft prevention is taken very seriously by management and owners, are less likely to steal. They are also more likely to remain vigilant about other employee theft situations, and are quicker to point out potential shoplifters. As we all know, vigilant employees who give excellent customer service are by far the most effective and valuable anti shoplifting deterrent available.
The best way to create a positive workplace for employees, who will be subjected to security check after the employee is off the clock, is to ensure that the expectation is clear from the literal Day One. This means during new hire on boarding programs the security checks should be explained in detail. These details should include what the employer’s role will be, what their limitations are, why they are doing this, and what the employee’s role will be.
By first explaining what the expectation is, employees are well aware of what their new job will be like. Next is ensuring that the checks are performed consistently and professionally. If the checks are sporadic, employees may feel like they are being targeted. They will also feel inconvenienced if they are only occasionally asked to stop, compared to feeling like it is all part of the routine if done consistently on every shift.
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
