You obviously can't run your company all on your own, so you probably have a team of staff members who help run your business on a day-to-day basis. If you have managers and other higher-ups, you have probably carefully chosen people who you thought you could trust and depend on to do a good job. Therefore, it can be heartbreaking to find that one of your managers could be stealing from your company.
Use Surveillance Cameras
Many owners install surveillance cameras to help protect their properties from intruders, but you also need them to prevent and detect employee theft. If you haven't already, it's a good idea to install surveillance cameras in the office, near the cash registers, and anywhere else where money or valuable items are stored or handled.
Implement an Open Door Policy
Believe it or not, other employees often notice this type of behavior before employers do. Therefore, it's a good idea to have an open door policy in place so that your employees feel comfortable approaching you if they know anything about potential theft.
Restrict Access
Restrict access to certain areas of your business, such as your office or your stock room. If possible, consider installing a card or key code access system; then, you will know when each employee has been in the restricted area, which will help hold each person accountable. If this isn't an option, consider keeping these restricted areas locked, and only allow access to certain people. This can help you narrow down your choices if you find that something has been stolen but don't know who did it.
Hire a Forensic Accountant
In many cases, members of management are very sneaky about how they steal money from their employers. For example, they might carefully try to hide this money when doing financial reports so that they won't be discovered. If you can't find the problem when looking at your own bank statements but know that something is wrong, a forensic accountant can help.
Forensic accountants help bust white collar criminals all the time. Their job is to examine your financial records to find any discrepancies or issues that might indicate theft. Hiring one of these professionals is a great way to determine if your manager is stealing from you and to provide concrete evidence in the event that you want to press charges.
Realizing that a higher-up in your place of business may be stealing money from you can be heartbreaking. Don't let your emotions get in the way, however; it is important to find out about any stealing before it causes major problems for your business. Luckily, following a few of these tips should help you get to the bottom of the situation. Talk to a forensic accountant for assistance.
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