Ways to Handle Theft in the Workplace

If you are an employer and your workers are involved in any kind of theft in the workplace, this can become a challenging issue to navigate. How do you appropriately handle this issue without causing broken relationships among the affected employees? Do you have to call the police? Should you fire the workers involved? Employee theft can be anything from stealing in the storage room, filing false mileage claims, stealing company intellectual property, and so many other things. You may want hard evidence of this kind of crime before you can pin down particular employees and take further action. However, hiring a good private investigator in Melbourne, for instance, should be the first step you can take to get hard evidence.

Now, some employers may have difficulty deciding what to do when their employees are involved in a theft at the workplace. If you are such an employer, you need not worry as we shall discuss it here.

Here are ways to handle theft at your workplace:

1.    Catalog Everything

Sometimes an employee continues with this vice even after they have been warned several times. You may decide to terminate such an employee later on. However, unless you have the right evidence, it may be difficult for you to prove that the employee stole. As such, you need a catalog of the things the employee has stolen, the dates such a crime was committed, and even video evidence if possible. Documenting every incidence and the time it happened is a good way to support your case in the future.

2.    Evaluate the Situation

Sometimes you may have to evaluate the situation before taking any drastic actions on the employee involved in the theft. Why did the employee steal the items? Was the theft intentional, or was it out of malice? What kind of punishment can be meted on such an employee? Always review the company policy before you take any drastic actions. When you make this evaluation, it will be easy for you to take the right action.

3.    Do You Need to Call the Police?

Do you need to call the police to record a statement or have the employee arrested? Was the theft big enough for this kind of action? Sometimes you may need to call the police to have the incident documented and further action taken by law enforcement agencies. You will, however, need to be very careful when involving the police in such a case. Remember, you do not want to erode the trust of the employees.

4.    Closely Supervise the Employee

One of the most common actions taken on employees who steal from their workplaces is to have them stopped for sometime before they resume work. During this time, supervise the employee and get to know what they are up to even when they are not working for you. If you decide to terminate such an employee, ensure that they have returned all the company property before leaving. You should have passwords and company keypads changed so that such an employee will not have access to the company. Keep a close eye on the employee to ensure he does not interfere with the company’s operations or actions in the future.