Can You Stop Employee Theft Before It Starts?

The bad news is there is no way to stop employee theft from happening except to not have employees.

You can institute all kinds of policies designed to curb internal theft, and gear all your procedures toward that end and sooner or later, employee theft is going to happen.

The good news is that you can stop internal theft by some people by not making them employees in the first place by using a pre-employment background check to screen out undesirable applicants.

The first check that most employers use is the criminal history check.  No one can connect the dots from a youthful shoplifting offense or a disorderly conduct charge to employee theft, but multiple arrests for serious theft related charges might be reason not to allow an individual unfettered access to your inventory or cash.  Even part timers may be working an extra job to pay a fine, probation fees, or restitution.  Even if an employer chooses not to exclude an applicant for having a police record, it might be a fact to be considered when assigning responsibilities and tasks.

An employment related credit check might be appropriate for some potential employees as well.  There are restrictions on the use of credit checks on employees, so be sure it is substantially related to the applicant’s duties before requesting one.  Your attorney or background check company can offer guidance on this.

Some employers object to background checks because of costs.  But when compared to the potential savings gained by not hiring a thief, the cost of an effective employee theft investigation or even terminating an employee for theft and hiring a replacement, the cost begins to look a lot more attractive.  And don’t forget the property lost to internal theft that may never be recovered through an employee theft investigation.

While employee theft will never be totally stopped, the risk can be reduced through the use of a pre-employment background check during the hiring process.

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