Employee Theft is real
Employee theft is the biggest type of theft .
One security expert, who heads national security for a jeans chain, says Australian retail staff help themselves to $70 million worth of stock a year—70 per cent of all shoplifting (Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend 16 August 1990). The National Retail Crime Prevention Council put shop theft by staff at $300 million per annum, half the then national estimate.
There are numerous ways for staff to steal from their employers:
- straightforward theft of goods and money;
- under-charging customer accomplices;
- adjusting delivery dockets;
- under-ringing purchases at the cash register;
- fiddling the shrinkage records;
- deliberately damaging goods to buy at staff discount;
- using company time and facilities for personal projects;
- increasing creditors’ invoices and keeping the difference;
- replacing perfect items with seconds in the warehouse or store;
- adding a last-minute item to the receipt but not ringing it up;
- picking up receipts for later inclusion in the register as ‘voids’ or ‘refunds’;
- palming a forgetful customer’s credit card;
- fraudulent refunding;
- conspiracies of middle management employees.
Some retailers choose to turn a blind eye to much staff theft: they may be unwilling to hound staff because of the effects on morale, it may simply be cheaper to ignore it, or some degree of pilfering may be regarded as a perk to keep otherwise satisfactory employees. Besides, the cost can always be passed on to the customers.
Prevent Employee theft by using National Protective Services “Caught on Camera” CCTV monitoring service from $29 per week including cameras.
