It’s not a nice thought, but any one of your employees could end up stealing from your company. Should you ever have the unfortunate task of dealing with such a plight, it’s highly recommended that you approach this daunting challenge with caution. For one, you don’t want to accuse an otherwise trustworthy staff member if they haven’t actually done anything wrong, as this could have an adverse effect on your overall workplace morale. What’s more, you don’t want to breach any legal employee welfare regulations, as this could end up having a negative effect on both your finances and your brand image going forward.
Dealing with employee theft is not an easy task to undertake; that much is for certain. To overcome this hurdle in an efficient and effective fashion, try putting the following advice into practice.
Stick to your policy
As stated, the last thing you want to do is breach employee welfare rights. This could end up landing you in serious hot water with the law, which in turn could end up damaging your company’s reputation beyond repair.
Whenever you suspect that a staff member is stealing from you, it’s important that you stick to your policy. Check this official documentation and refer back to it throughout the accusation process. This will aid you in your attempt to follow all of the procedures that you are lawfully instructed to abide by.
Do your research
Before you actively start making accusations towards your staff members, you are advised to conduct a lot of research into the potential theft. By getting your ducks in a row in this instance, you will arm yourself with all the necessary information you need to cite your employees with official workplace misconduct. Crucially, this will aid you in your attempt to circumvent this situation without compromising any official regulations.
If you suspect data theft, you might want to consider embarking on what is known as an E-Discovery digital investigation. This will help you to find and compile evidence that may be stored away in your employees’ private email addresses. To find out more about E-Discovery and the crucial role it can play in your employee theft litigation process, be sure to click this link.
The moment of truth…
Once you’ve put the above advice into practice and feel ready to bring this situation to a boil, it’s important that you remain calm. No matter how angry, upset, or disappointed you may be, you are advised to keep your emotions in check. This will help you to get the truth out of the employee that you believe has stolen from you, which in turn will allow you to close this case in a timely and cost-effective fashion.
Having an employee steal from you is never going to be a pleasant situation to deal with. It will go way beyond causing you financial problems — it will make it difficult for you to place your trust in others, which in turn could end up having a seriously adverse effect on your mental health. To ensure that you handle staff theft in an effective fashion, be sure to heed all of the above advice.
