Tips for Reducing Employee Theft

August 17, 2018 10:15 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

If you own a retail store or commercial business, keeping track of assets, revenue and cash flow are crucial to your daily operations. One of the major threats to commercial businesses is theft. While many business owners fear theft from customers in the form of merchandise, employee theft is one of the most rampant and damaging occurrences in all types of businesses.

Employee theft can be tricky to combat, which is why business owners need to implement a strategy dedicated to identifying and stopping it as soon as possible. To help you prevent loss, here are some tips for improving retail store security in Fort Myers, FL:

  • Check references and backgrounds: When hiring new employees, it’s a good idea to call provided references to get a feel for the potential employee’s work ethic, responsibility, and trustworthiness. If past employers say the new hire had a problem with theft, you should steer clear. Not only that, but you should run background checks on new hires to ensure they don’t have a history of theft or other concerning illegal activity. Hiring employees you can trust puts your business on the right foot.
  • Install security cameras: Security cameras are a good idea for both monitoring the activity in your store and preventing theft. Make sure employees know about the cameras to deter them from stealing items or cash. If they know they are being watched, they will be less likely to steal.
  • Lock up valuables and limit access: When employees of all levels have access to some of the most tempting items, like large sums of cash or valuable merchandise, it’s only a matter of time before something will go missing. Limit access to these items, so only managers or long-term employees you trust are able to unlock them.
  • Implement accountability policies: Maintain good records and implement policies for checking inventory and cash levels daily to help you keep track of assets in your store. If your employees know that you don’t check on your items or cash regularly, it’ll be much easier for them to get away with theft.
  • Provide a way for employees to report fraud: Chances are, at least one of your employees has witnessed their coworkers stealing from your business. However, if you don’t have a good way for those employees to come forward without fear of retaliation or conflict, they might not ever let you know. Implement a system for employees to report fraud securely, and then make sure you have a policy for investigating it thoroughly.
  • Hire a security guard: Sometimes, even the most high-tech security systems and policies can’t stop you and your business from being victims of theft. Your last resort may be to hire a security guard from a commercial security service in Fort Myers, FL. Having a uniformed presence in the store will help deter both customers and employees from doing things they shouldn’t.

If you’re looking to improve your retail store security in Fort Myers, FL and cut down on employee theft, contact the diverse team of security officers at American Pride Security Services. We’ve offered security and protection services for over a decade, from security surveys and consultations to uniformed officers at all types of locations. Get in touch to learn more!

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