Quality Pre Employment Screening Means Quality Employees

December 27, 2010 by

Quality Pre Employment Screening Means Quality Employees

Every business wants the very best employees available to fill open positions, a result that is helped along by a quality pre employment screening program.  A quality program is designed both to reduce risk to the employer by eliminating unsuitable candidates as well as help in making decisions among two or more suitable applicants.

Each company has its own “system” of pre employment screening, whether it’s a written developed policy or the result of trial and error over time.

Typically, there are many more applicants than there are positions to fill, resulting in a broad range of applicants, from those who are under qualified and stretching their accomplishments and abilities to the over qualified who may be taking the position until something better comes along.

The pre employment screening policies used by hiring companies is designed to streamline the process of making the best decision.

The depth of the process should be job specific.  Positions with higher responsibility should face higher scrutiny, since a hiring mistake can typically be more costly.  The elements of the program can be done incrementally as well, depending on the job.  In hiring a driver, for instance the employer might opt to check the driving record of a candidate, then based on those results, either eliminate the candidate, or conduct a criminal background check on those that successfully pass the driving record hurdle.  Other searches like credit reports, references, employment checks, and education verification can be added if needed or omitted.  Although this method may reduce costs somewhat, it will also tend to drag out the time it takes to get a complete snapshot of the applicant.

The final result of pre employment screening, including interviewing, drug testing, and those items mentioned above all are directed at securing the most qualified quality candidate to help the company prosper.

To have your pre employment questions answered, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Battling Internal Theft – Atlanta Georgia

December 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In the never-ending battle against internal theft we must remain proactive and vigilant in our attempts to prevent and/ or detect it. There are several easy programs you can set up within your organization that will help you send out a message that you are aware of internal theft and are ready and willing to prosecute it whenever it is identified. First of all, every company should provide a confidential reporting system for employees, vendors, and customers to anonymously report any violations of policies and procedures. Promote an environment in which employees feel they have a stake in the company. This way they’ll feel as if they’re doing themselves a service as well as the company rather than feeling that they’re simply “snitching”.

In your attempts to combat internal theft it is also vital that you conduct scheduled, and unscheduled, audits. You should, of course, maintain your regular assessments, but random, unannounced financial audits and fraud assessments can help identify new vulnerabilities in your processes, and measure the effectiveness of your controls. It also serves as a warning to let employees know that fraud prevention is a high priority for the company and that someone is always watching.

If your audits or controls discover a discrepancy then you must thoroughly investigate every case. Don’t simply assume you know what happened. A thorough and prompt investigation will give you the facts you need to make informed decisions and reduce losses. Finally, you and your management staff must lead by example. A cavalier attitude toward rules and regulations by management will soon be reflected in the attitude of employees. Every employee, regardless of position, should be held accountable for their actions. Follow these suggestions and it will take you a long way towards winning the battle against internal theft .

For more information contact us at internal theft or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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TECHNIQUES USED BY THE SHOPLIFTER

December 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When you want to prevent shoplifting you must understand how a shoplifter steals. They need only several seconds in most cases to conceal your merchandise. You need to be aware of how they conceal it. And be on the look out for the signals.

Concealment:                             
Purses, large or small                               
Shopping bags from your store or others                         
Under clothing                        
In pockets-this is the most common                            
Infant strollers-who would demand to see under the baby or wake them up
                                          
Ticket Switching:                         
Remove higher price ticket and put a lower one in its’ place. Or placing a sticker with a different barcode over the one on the package. Barcode software is available over the counter.            
  
Change ticket price with a pen or pricing gun. This may be to just create confusion while a partner is the one stealing.   
                                         
Refunding:                                
Customer removes the tag from new merchandise, claims it was purchased and receives the cash. Without ever leaving your store!                

Customers making frequent refunds. Track who is refunding. Require ID.

Same person using different names and addresses to obtain refunds.
         
Used Receipt  – Receipt from a previous purchase is used to obtain a refund on additional merchandise.                           
                                            
Distraction:
Asking to see more merchandise than employees can keep track of.         

Using another person or a small child to keep the employee occupied while a partner steals merchandise.   
  
Shuffling merchandise around

I will never forget the rather large woman who was stealing 22lb frozen turkeys by holding one between her thighs, under her dress. OK that is a bit disgusting. That’s why I waited to blog about this after Thanksgiving.

Shoplifters are good at what they do. You have to be better. Get trained; get the right equipment and tools to help you and most important get the right attitude. Your effort to prevent shoplifting has to be a 24/7 endeavor.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547

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Background Checks Catch Falsified Resumes

December 24, 2010 by

Background Checks Catch Falsified Resumes

Embellished, exaggerated, or stretched sounds much nicer when describing a job seeker’s resume, than calling it what it is: Falsified.

In addition to the basic criminal history and social trace, background checks are also useful in detecting other derogatory information presented by the applicant.

It’s a fact that because of the current economy, more and more people are looking to fill fewer and fewer jobs.  And there are plenty of those applying, in order to look better in an extremely competitive environment, who are tailoring their resumes to fit the position they are trying for.

Say that an applicant sees that a company is looking for someone with a college degree, and thinks that although he doesn’t actually have a degree, he did attend community college for a semester and he feels he has enough experience to do the job, so his college experience becomes a four year degree.

Bachelors Degrees become Masters and Masters become Ph.D.’s.  Salaries get inflated, responsibilities become more and more important, more employees are supervised, bookkeepers become accountants and accountants become CFO’s on the runaway resume.

No longer can an employer depend on an interview and resume and be certain of the caliber of employee he may be getting.  Even con men interview well.

Employers can’t spare the time to try to train and supervise an employee who is unqualified for the position for which he was hired.

Background checks can save time and money by weeding out unqualified applicants, and those that have falsified their qualifications to get a job.

For more information on resume verifications and employee checks, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Keys to Corporate Fraud Investigation – Atlanta Georgia

December 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In today’s complicated business climate it is important for all business owners and managers to familiarize themselves with the proper way to conduct a corporate fraud investigation. First, the company should have a corporate investigative policy drawn up. The purpose of this is to give everyone an idea of what to do when fraud is suspected, how those allegations are to be evaluated and when and where to start an investigation. This helps eliminate the possibility of someone claiming to have been singled out in the investigation and brings uniformity to the process.

The next step in a corporate fraud investigation is to form your investigative team. These are the people who will actually sift through the evidence and conduct the necessary interviews, etc. A properly managed fraud investigation is critical to the successful resolution of a fraud case; therefore these people must be organized and efficient. Included in their responsibilities during a corporate fraud investigation is document management procedures and supervision of staff and consultants.  It is important to be able to quickly locate critical documents, and ensuring that all necessary issues are examined.

Every corporate fraud investigation is unique, since each fraud has its own set of facts and details. The purpose of the investigation should be to determine whether or not fraudulent activity occurred, who committed the act, and how much was lost to the fraud. Evidence of the findings must be gathered discreetly and presented to those who need to know. From there they can make the determination whether to terminate the individual, seek restitution or simply prosecute the crime to the fullest extent of the law. A  corporate fraud investigation must always be handled professionally and fairly.

For more information about corporate fraud investigator , employee theft or internal theft contact us at corporate fraud investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Can a Background Check Company be Too BIG?

December 22, 2010 by

Can a Background Check Company be Too BIG?

Everyone wants to grow their business, so is it possible that a background check company can be too big?

It can become too big if it stops caring about its customers and their expectations of what a background check company should be.

Every background check is the sum of several parts that go into it: Criminal history searches, address histories, social security traces, credit reports, and so on.  The company has outgrown its customers if it turns out an assembly line product that is not reviewed by a competent investigator who is knowledgeable in spotting some unususal circumstances in the background check that are not evident at first glance.  A driver’s license from a state not evident as the applicant’s current or listed reference is a good example, or an individual who was without a license for a period of several years.  Or an address that is known to be a mail drop.  These situations may have logical reasons for them but they bear further investigation.

Criminal background checks sometimes need explanations from someone familiar with the language used in the courts as well as some of the non-standard charges and dispositions.

Every client company should have an individual contact or representative at the background check that they can call and speak with regarding the background check results they receive if they have any questions at all.

A background check company can be too big if it loses touch with those who made it big… their customers.

Need a reliable background check company?  Call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Prevent Shoplifting by Awareness – Atlanta Georgia

December 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A shoplifter walks into your store.  How do you know they are going to shoplift?  What does a shoplifter look like?

If shoplifters wore name tags that said “Hello, my name is Sue and I shoplift” then our jobs would be quite easy.  But, in reality, there is not a “look” to a shoplifter.

They can be dressed nice, dressed shabby, be clean, be unkempt, be male, or be female.  There is no picture in the dictionary next to the word “shoplifter.”

So how does a business prevent shoplifting in their store? While the person can’t be picked out as a shoplifter from their look, they can be distinguished for their actions.  A shoplifter may be looking around and watching other employees or customers.  He or she may appear nervous or apprehensive.  They may be wandering your store and not appear to be shopping the way that others do.  By teaching your employees to watch for these clues, you can prevent shoplifting in your business.

Shoplifters often work in groups, having one person distract the employee while the other steals.  This is good information for your employees to know, so that they can be aware of this technique and prevent shoplifting in this style.

Your employees should also have knowledge of what items in your business are considered high theft.  These items should be kept in an area where employees can monitor them.  Employees should provide excellent customer service at all times – but especially when customers are looking at these high theft items.

Have your employees pay attention to their surroundings while they are working on your sales floor.  If they are stocking shelves or straightening merchandise, they can still watch the customers around them and provide good customer service.

Using some of these tips to prevent shoplifting in your business will help convince your shoplifting customers that they should shop elsewhere for the “deals” they seek.

For more information contact us at prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.256 – Atlanta Georgia

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Employee Theft Investigation – Atlanta Georgia

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Not every part of the employee theft investigation is going to be filled with edge-of-your-seat excitement. Parts of it can be truly tedious, but extremely necessary in order to build a case against an employee that you believe to be involved in some sort of wrong-doing. A short time ago one of my detectives came to me information on a cashier. An ex-employee had come into the store and apparently waited for the cashier’s line to come open. The ex-employee had several items tucked underneath her shopping cart; a fact that the cashier obviously saw but made no mention of. She allowed the ex-employee to pay for a few items then exit without paying for the items under the cart.

Of course my detective approached the ex-employee before she exited and recovered the merchandise, but that’s when the employee theft investigation began. It appeared to me to be a clear case of sweethearting, but I needed to be sure. Sweethearting is defined as “the granting of special favors or privileges, especially to friends or family; in retail, the giving of unauthorized discounts or the abetting of shoplifting or other theft”. So the burden of proof was on me to prove collusion; that the cashier was aware of the hidden merchandise and allowed the ex-employee to take the merchandise.

I spent countless hours staring at two computer screens. One was a CCTV shot which was focused clearly on the cashier and could see everything piece of merchandise she handled. The other was on a duplicate screen of her cash register; this allowed me to see exactly what she was actually ringing in. Almost 2 weeks past before the ex-employee came back in, but when she did she went directly to the cashier in question. This time, probably spooked from their last close call, they didn’t bother with the bottom of the basket trick. The cashier simply took all the merchandise, pretended to swipe several pieces and just place them into the bag. Upon exiting the ex-employee was apprehended and subsequently arrested. The cashier was arrested and terminated. It was a long and un-exciting battle but in the end a successful employee theft investigation .

For more information about employee theft , internal theft or corporate fraud investigation contact us at employee theft investigation or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Experts in the field – Loss Prevention Consultants – Atlanta Georgia

December 20, 2010 by

If your business is experiencing an increase in inventory shrinkage, it may benefit from the knowledge and expertise of loss prevention consultants .  Trained professionals can take a look at your business and create an effective loss prevention program.

For example, shoplifters do not want attention when they come into your store. loss prevention consultants can help you teach your employees this important fact.  By simply providing that unwanted attention, theft can be prevented without the employee ever realizing it.

Loss prevention consultants can also look at your sales floor layout and offer suggestions for improvement.  High theft items should be located in a high traffic area in the store, away from the entrances.  These items should also have good employee coverage so that they can be monitored.  By having the merchandise away from the entrance, this can help prevent a shoplifter from grabbing the merchandise and making a quick escape out the doors.

While you might not recognize a blind corner in your store, loss prevention consultants can look at your store the way a shoplifter does, and identify good areas of concealment.  These areas can then be reworked so that the aisles are more open.

Loss prevention controls for your business can also be developed.  If your business has a fitting room, consultants may suggest that employees physically handle all clothing that goes into the room, and that the fitting room never be left unattended.  Some shoplifters choose to conceal merchandise in fitting rooms, so by monitoring what goes into the room this type of theft can be prevented.

By reducing the opportunity, you can reduce the theft with the help of loss prevention consultants .

For more information contact us: loss prevention consultants or call 1.770.426.256 – Atlanta Georgia

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Background Check Prevention

December 20, 2010 by

Background Check Prevention

Things a background check may prevent:

§ A dishonest employee committing theft in your business
§ Hiring an applicant with a history of drug or alcohol abuse
§ Hiring an applicant with the potential toward violence or abuse
§ Hiring an applicant who can’t handle their own financial affairs
§ Hiring an applicant who has served prison time
§ Hiring an applicant who can’t get along with co-workers or supervisors
§ Hiring an applicant who lacks the education to perform the job
§ Hiring an applicant who lacks the experience to do the job
§ Hiring an applicant who fabricated employers
§ Hiring an applicant with a suspended or revoked driver’s license.

A background check may also prevent:

§ Wasting time with an unqualified applicant
§ Hiring an applicant who jumps from job to job
§ Hiring a poor performer
§ Hiring an applicant with long periods of unexplained non-employment
§ A lawsuit filed for negligent hiring or retention
§ Hiring a registered sex offender
§ Accepting bogus identification from an applicant
§ Checking criminal history based on where the applicant says he lived rather than where he actually lived
§ Finding out post-hire that an employee has civil judgments, liens, or garnishments

And most importantly, a background check may prevent an employer from regretting that he ever hired an applicant in the first place.

For further information on what a background check may prevent, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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