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Peninsula Group, HR and Health & Safety Experts
(Last updated )
Peninsula Group, HR and Health & Safety Experts
(Last updated )
In this guide we explain how you can go about the process. But remember, as this can be a contentious issue, you can refer to our employment law services for immediate assistance if your situation is urgent.
While most businesses will find the vast majority of their employees are trustworthy, there’s still a chance there may still be stealing from work.
Theft from employers is a serious issue. If you come across any sort of suspicious activity, or you know your employee is taking work items from your business without permission, then you should act decisively.
In this guide we explain how you can go about the process. But remember, as this can be a contentious issue, you can refer to our employment law services for immediate assistance if your situation is urgent.
Find the safest and easiest way to resolve your workplace issue
It’s when a member of staff steals, uses, or misuses your company property (assets) without your express permission.
An “asset” indicates theft, yet it actually involves more than an employee taking money from your business. This is because there are different types of theft in the workplace. Examples include:
What this list highlights is not everything an employee can steal is physical property. For example, employees can take business data and share it online—as such, it’s important you protect your various assets through various techniques.
Staff stealing from your business can have a major impact on your profits—it can affect your very future. So, employee theft is a major concern. And you can handle it by establishing preventative measures.
However, it’s important to remember that doesn’t mean you should setup 24/7 CCTV surveillance and security guards. An excessive amount of employee monitoring is bad for morale and will make your staff unhappy.
Yet you can still have a series of effective checks to provide limited opportunities to steal any of your company assets. For this, you may want to consider:
So, regarding how to report employee theft, just remember your evidence must be strong. So you may wish to terminate the employee’s contract, and potentially notify the police.
Proving theft in the workplace can be reasonably straightforward if you have the right processes in place.
To help with handling that, you can also establish a procedure to follow—one that also clearly outlines to your workforce the conduct you expect from them in and around your business premises.
This is particularly important as instant dismissal for theft is one potential outcome—stealing is gross misconduct. You should make this clear to your employees as this fact alone can put them off the idea.
A policy of this type can be quite lengthy as it has various points to cover. You can follow the basic outline below as a template, but be aware you’ll need to adapt it to suit your business needs.
For help with structuring your theft policy, you can refer to your HR department—or outsource to a business consultant to ensure your regulations are clear cut.
We can help you to establish an anti-theft policy for your workplace, or discuss the implications of ongoing stealing at your business.
Our teams provide 24/7 HR advice which is available 365 days a year. We take care of everything when you work with our HR experts.
Want to find out more? Contact us on 0800 028 2420 and book a free consultation with an HR consultant today.
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