Workplace Violence Screened by Background Checks

November 3, 2010 by

Workplace Violence Screened by Background Checks 

Pre employment screening can’t possibly exclude an individual who might display bullying tendencies that could possibly lead to workplace violence, can it?

There seem to be more and more stories being publicized about workplace violence recently.  A workplace shooting at a Manchester, CT brewery that took the lives of nine people is an example.

There is also more media attention being paid to workplace bullying, which has a very broad definition, encompassing activities from slander and name calling to aggression and physical assaults.

Two thing are certain about workplace violence incidents: they can cost an employer big bucks in the case of lawsuits, and while they can’t be totally controlled, there are things an employer can do to lessen the risk.

From the pre employment screening and background checks standpoint, there are two areas that deserve heightened scrutiny:  criminal background checks and reference background checks.

Does the criminal background check show any signs of a violent or abusive person?  Are there charges for simple battery, affray, disorderly conduct, or domestic violence?  If so, pay extra attention to the applicant during the interview process and get a feel for their attitude.  Ask specific questions about information contained on their application and resume, and determine if they are truthful or covering something up.

Make your reference background checks as detailed as you can, asking former employers if there were instances of bullying or violence related to the applicant.  Although some former employers don’t willingly give this type of information, there are others just waiting for you to ask.

It is a lot simpler to not hire a person with a history of bullying and violence than it is to handle it once they become your employee and incidents have occurred.

To discuss your pre employment screening and procedures relating to your background checks, click here or call 770-426-0547

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Retail Loss Prevention and Proper Training – Atlanta Georgia

November 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

You’ve done the right thing in hiring a retail loss prevention staff and given them the proper tools in which to do their job, and none too soon. There’s a particularly seedy-looking gentleman in your store.

He’s dressed unseasonably warm and eye-balling everyone in his immediate vicinity. He’s carrying close to $300 worth of your merchandise in his arms when he ducks behind a rack of clothing; when he emerges again, he’s empty handed. As he exits the store your retail loss prevention associate stops him and what do you know… he’s got nothing. However, what you now have is a potential lawsuit. How do you prevent this?

There’s a sign hanging in my office that reads: “Check your gut at the door”. It means simply that there is no room for gut feelings or intuition in the world of retail loss prevention . Proper training and adherence to that training is the only sure way to not land yourself in hot water. The following are the rules that I’ve instructed my associates to abide by before apprehending a shoplifter. I’d love to tell you that I made them up, but I didn’t. They’ve been around for years, they are time-tested and they work.

  1. Observe the suspect approach the merchandise. (ensuring they didn’t have it with them when they came in)
  2. Observe the suspect select the merchandise from the display.
  3. Observe the suspect either conceal or walk away with the merchandise. If they concealed it, know where exactly it is at.
  4. Maintain continuous visual surveillance of the suspect the entire time they’re in the store.
  5. Ensure that the suspect does not pay for the merchandise in question.
  6. Allow the suspect to exit. Once they’re outside with the unpaid merchandise they’ve actually committed a crime and then can be detained.

Proper training of your retail loss prevention staff can save you a lot of heartache and countless dollars in your day to day operations.

For more information contact us: retail loss prevention or call 1.770.426.0547

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You Have to Give SHRM Credit

November 1, 2010 by

You Have to Give SHRM Credit

There is legislation pending before congress that would remove credit background checks from employers’ pre employment screening programs.  The bill HR 3149, the Equal Opportunity for All Act, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-TN, and is currently as of October assigned to committee.

Colleen Parker Denston, Human Resources Director at a Maryland prep school and a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) testified on behalf of that organization before the subcommittee considering the bill.

Ms. Denson stated, “There is compelling public interest in ensuring that employers can assess the skills, abilities, work habits, and integrity of potential hires.  Credit histories, like other aspects of the background check process, are but one piece of information HR professionals use to evaluate whether an individual should be hired.”

SHRM surveys on employers’ background checks have shown that the use of credit histories have not increased in recent years, despite changes in the economy.

There seems to be a common misconception among opponents of credit histories used in the pre employment process that a certain credit score may eliminate an applicant from consideration, or that unfortunate circumstances such as medical bills or job loss may affect a candidate’s employability.

In actuality, credit reports for employment purposes are restricted from providing a credit score, and most companies using credit reports for employment screening tend to look at the overall credit picture rather than specific slip ups contained in the report.  Most companies use the credit report only as one small part of a larger snapshot of a candidate being considered in the employment screening process.

For more information on the use of credit reports in pre employment screening, call 770-426-0547 or click here to email.

This blog does not represent any official SHRM viewpoint and is informational only.

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Signals that indicate employee theft – Part 3 – Atlanta Georgia

November 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Signals that indicate possible internal theft or employee theft with goods or money

· There is talk of an uncontrolled stream of goods between branches (inter-branch traffic). The argument of the dispatch workers is that these are rush orders that will be administratively processed later.
· An unexplainable rise in returned goods or credit notes, often coupled with the handwriting of a certain employee, or concerning a certain attractive product.
· No check on the actual return of goods.
· Insufficient administrative safeguards or system to control returned goods. · Returns recorded on several staff numbers while only 1 or 2 employees were present at the time.
· An unexplainable rise of the number of cancelled receipts or mistaken till entries. Also the salesperson  suddenly makes multiple mistakes whilst ringing up an amount.
· A rise in cash differences or returns coupled to the presence of a certain employee.
· A rise in the number of  ‘off till’ sales of products with which the client will probably not return such as upgrade tickets, rolls of film, passport photos, batteries, lens cleaner, etc.. The consequence is an increasing shortage in these sectors. The salesperson reckons that the buyer will not ask for a receipt. If the customer does ask for a receipt, striking the ‘total’ key produces a receipt. A signal of this way of acting is the increasing quantity of cancelled receipts and the opening of the till by means of striking the ‘nil’ key or ringing up a small amount with the aim of creaming of the surplus money.
· Returning goods several times with the same receipt with the help of the salesperson, the ‘income’ to be shared.
· Cash differences in exclusively round figures.
· No cash differences.
· Only negative cash differences, often in round figures.
· Cash surpluses always in round figures.
· Off till sales, usually in amounts of $9.95, $14.95, $24.95 or such amounts. Often there is a store of $0.05 pieces near the till to use as change without using the till.
· An emphatic signal of the fraud detailed under 43 is that the till draw is often not closed but frequently found to be ajar.

Many times several of these signals are seen in a single employee. One item by itself may not be internal theft but a error. Look for one or more in an employee. Remember, internal theft or employee theft should always cause you to begin an employee theft investigation . Do not bury your head in the sand, employee theft will not go away on its own. It WILL get worse. Many times employers are resistant to have an employee theft investigation preformed because it will “offend” your good employees. What offends good employees is to see unchecked theft going on around them.

Watch for more parts to come in future blogs!

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

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Ways to Prevent Shoplifting – Atlanta Georgia

November 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Ok, so the title is a little misleading. Realistically speaking, there’s no way to prevent shoplifting completely, but there are a number of proven methods that can reduce your susceptibility to shoplifters. First, there’s identifying the shoplifter. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages but there are certain things to look for to help you identify them. Be aware of people wearing excessively baggy clothes or heavy coats when the weather is relatively warm. Beware of oversized purses or backpacks, especially if they appear to be flat or nearly empty. There’s a decent chance the owner intends on filling it with your merchandise.

Keep an eye on your fitting rooms if you have them. Criminals know that they’re one of the few places in the store where you won’t have surveillance. So, limit the number of items a person is allowed to bring in and post a fitting room attendant whenever possible. Be aware of your high risk merchandise. Usually particular brand names, trendy styles or items tend to grab a shoplifter’s attention. Make sure that you too are aware of the trends and pay close attention to the location and accessibility of those items. You have to be proactive and stay one step ahead in order to prevent shoplifting in your establishment.

Restrooms, like fitting rooms, are someplace where criminals know there will be no surveillance. So, be mindful of any individuals attempting to take merchandise into the restrooms with them. Lastly, instruct your associates to greet each and every customer with a warm and open demeanor. Ask if they need assistance and let them know they will be nearby if any questions or concerns arise. I call this the “kill ‘em with kindness” method. Any legitimate customers get terrific customer service while any would-be thief is made aware of your constant and watchful eye. Follow these tips and they will go a long way to helping you prevent shoplifting within your establishment.

For more information contact us: prevent shoplifting or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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A loss prevention agent and the benefits of CCTV – Atlanta Georgia

November 1, 2010 by

As a former loss prevention agent , I can tell you the benefits of having and using CCTV equipment inside of stores.

Several years ago, I was working a small chain of specialty stores. They catered to a high end customer and didn’t really believe that the customers that shop their stores would do anything as “humiliating” as shoplifting.

They were under the impression that all customers in their stores were honest because they had money. Let me assure you, they were wrong.
Within one week of working a store, I had apprehended several shoplifters for various items. Over the next several weeks, the apprehensions continued.

As time went on, the corporate office was so astounded that their customers were stealing; they decided to implement a CCTV system. 6 cameras were installed. 2 overlooking the registers and 4 others strategically placed throughout the stores. The four cameras on the floor were PTZ or pan, tilt and zoom, basically cameras you could move and zoom in on customers. My apprehensions doubled.

As a loss prevention agent , tools are an important factor in boosting profits and protecting assets. Many companies seem to skimp when it comes to camera equipment. Take a chain of stores, 8 stores. These guys sold alcohol and tobacco amongst other merchandise. They had no camera equipment, none. Working these stores as a loss prevention agent made me earn my pay. I was all over these 10,000 square foot stores, watching customers, detaining shoplifters and in many instances, repeat shoplifters.

One on occasion, I was in the back of the store interviewing a shoplifter when I got a call from the front registers that a customer had just stolen all of the money from one of the registers. When I arrived at the front, the employee said as she opened the drawer a man quickly reached his hand in and took all of the bills and ran out of the store. Unfortunately, since the incident happened so quickly, witnesses could not describe him. He got away.

Had the store installed a basic camera system covering the registers and exits, this man would not had gotten away so easy. A trained loss prevention agent could have quickly notified the local police and provided the appropriate video footage.

For more information visit us at loss prevention agent or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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Stopping the loss before it occurs – with clothing security tags

November 1, 2010 by

My team of loss prevention agents that works the sales floor, watching for shoplifters, recently apprehended a group of three people who all stole clothing. Clothing security needs to be a concern for all businesses which sell clothes – these three individuals had nearly $300 worth of clothing concealed among them, inside their bags and, in the case of the male in the group, down the front of his pants.

Clothing is easy to conceal and bunches up small enough to not take up much space.  Even a purse that is not unusually large can hold quite a bit of clothing when the shoplifter wants to use this means of concealment.  Clothing can also be worn out of a business, under a jacket or under the shoplifter’s clothing.

Security tags on clothes are a proven deterrent to shoplifting.  Shoplifters do not want to draw attention to themselves, but they know when they see clothing security tags that they risk a clothing alarm activating.  It is time consuming as a shoplifter to try to remove clothing security tags , so why bother?  There are always other businesses from which to steal.

Shoplifters want that smooth road – the one in which they enter a business, select the items they wish to steal, conceal the items and then leave undetected. Security tags on clothes provide that roadblock to throw the shoplifter off of their intended path.

For more information on clothing security , security tags on clothes , clothing alarm contact us at clothing security tags or call 1.770.426.256.

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Corporate Fraud….Insurance Scams – Atlanta Georgia

October 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

One of the leading corporate fraud scams out there is insurance scamming.  Insurance Fraud is any act committed with the intention of obtaining funds fraudulently from an insurance provider.  These types of frauds not only cost companies billions of dollars annually, but can affect the lives of innocent by standers as well.  The Coalition against Insurance Fraud estimates that in 2006 a total of about $80 billion was lost in the United States due to insurance fraud.

Let’s look at an example of corporate fraud that affects the innocent.  Ever been sitting at  a red light, minding your own business and someone intentionally hits you from behind, then you hit the car in front of you.  Well when the person in front of you claims a neck injury….because he was working with the creep who hit you….files false medical costs…….then they are committing insurance fraud.

Medical disability is also one of the leading corporate fraud scams for insurance companies and worker’s compensation.  Say an employee is able to convince a medical professional they are unable to work due to an injury they sustained while on the job.  Not only is the company out worker’s compensation monies, but the government is out disability funds if they employee claims they cannot ever work!  My dream job would be follow these folks around that are capable of holding a job but defrauding the government for disability and take photos of them riding bikes and water skiing.

Corporate fraud in the insurance market is one of the hardest to prove.  Do you think your corporation, insurance company or otherwise, have been the victim of Fraud?  Contact us at corporate fraud or call 1.770.426.0547. – Atlanta Georgia

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Employee fraud more of a temptation in poor economy and becoming tougher to tackle

October 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The poor economy leads more people into employee fraud temptation.  They say there are three types of employees; those who fall into the ten percent who will never steal from you no matter what, those who will steal from you at some point if given the right opportunity at about 80%, and the final 10% who are going to steal from you no matter what.

So the eight percenters are the ones we need to watch, obviously now more than ever, being in these tough economic times.  And this 80% group is probably full of people you would think would never steal from you no matter what.  So how do you know who is a thief and who is not when you recognize you are having a problem somewhere and likely experiencing employee fraud of some kind?

Your CPA may be the first person you call to put some pieces of the puzzle together.  They will no doubt find issues.  So now what? You have some irregular activity identified, could be one or more of a few different employees.  How do you get to the truth without accusing all the potential suspects and damage relationships with good employees?  Answer, a professional corporate fraud investigator can get down to the truth without blowing anyone up, and they will protect you from the process.

We often work with CPAs and CFEs as a link in the chain of their unvestigation.  A trained employee fraud investigator from our team will utilize information gathered to lead them through specific interviewing tactics and ultimately interogation techniques if needed to deliver a written confession.  No rubber hoses or scare tactics necessary.

If you have a concern about internal theft and would like to learn more, please visit employee fraud.

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A day in the life of a Loss Prevention Agent – Atlanta Georgia

October 29, 2010 by

I remember being a loss prevention agent . Several years ago, I worked my first loss prevention job as a loss prevention agent for a small chain of stores. My job required me to conduct surveillance on customers suspected of theft. When I witnessed these customers conceal merchandise and exit the store, I stepped in.

Every Saturday, I would plan the upcoming week. What areas of the business did I need to focus? Were the shampoos, aspirins, and liquor or baby products ok? I checked maps of all of the hotspots at whatever location I worked. For this week, I’m working a hard hit store in a metropolitan area. Last week, the manager told me about a group of shoplifters that had been hitting his store between 7 and 9pm. This group worked the store like it was their job. 2 of the females of the group would distract the manager while the 2 males and third female filled baskets full of merchandise. Then, while the manager was occupied with the 2 females, the other team would wheel the full shopping cart out of the store.

As a loss prevention agent , I gathered information and built my strategy. I knew the suspected thieves always came between 7pm and 9pm. Now, I narrowed down the days to Tuesdays and Fridays. I planned my work schedule for those two days. Suspecting these people would hit the merchandise with a high street and resale value, I watched areas like health and beauty, baby products and other street valuable merchandise.
Tuesday, at about 8pm, while I was working shoplift detail, the group of suspects entered the store. The manager notified me immediately.

From a distance, I saw a male and female speaking with the manager, quickly I ran to my observation area and quickly found the other 3 suspects. I watched as they filled the basket with merchandise. Having a relationship with local police department, I had a car waiting outside to help. As the suspects exited, I notified the waiting police car. The suspects were stopped, arrested and booked for grand theft.

As a loss prevention agent , I did my job and was excited about it.

For more information visit us at loss prevention agent or call 1.770.426.0547 – Atlanta Georgia

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