Basics of identifying employee theft

Internal theft is one of the greatest challenges to any business.  When a business hires someone to join their ranks they are showing faith in that person’s skills, experience, and trustworthiness.  Unfortunately, despite lengthy interview processes and extensive background checks there are still individuals who choose to exploit their positions within your business to ‘earn a little extra’.

Methods of employee theft investigation vary in size, scope, and style.  It can be as small as a cashier skimming a few dollars from the register every so often to a team of warehouse workers ensuring a few flat-screen TVs go ‘missing from inventory’ only to be found later in their living rooms.  As far as catching such dishonest employees is concerned it takes patience, skill, and a little bit of luck.

Conducting an employee theft investigation starts with knowing where to look to look for employee theft.  You may need to comb through register deposit records (over and short reports) or perform regular inventory counts (such as perpetual counts on important items).  Your lead into a potential internal theft case could literally fall into your lap without you even needing to go looking for it.

Whatever the starting point of your investigation is you cannot expect immediate returns on your work like you would with a shoplifter.  Employee theft investigations require an investment of time, be it from a single Loss Prevention Detective or a whole team.  Even when an employee has been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar it doesn’t mean it is case closed.  There is the follow-up, the interrogation, which may lead to the admission of a larger theft or even the implication of others within the workforce.

One other thing to consider when it comes to employee theft investigations; don’t keep anyone in your workforce from being scrutinized.  More often than not it’s the ones whom you trust the most that are the biggest internal threats.

For more information on employee theft , employee theft investigation or internal theft contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia