Employee Issues

Fraud committed by employees against their employer is estimated to cost the U.K. economy in excess of £1.2bn a year (2008 figures). We are experienced in carrying out internal employee investigations where evidence of a fraud or theft comes to light prior to any criminal investigation being made. Our investigative officers are fully PACE trained, ensuring that evidence uncovered during internal investigations is admissible in any later proceedings.

We also provide advice on a consultancy basis on implementing security policies to identify and combat theft or fraud in the workplace.

Employee theft in the workplace is a major issue for any business. Some disturbing facts are :-

  • The British Retail Consortium recently reported that retail theft in 2009 amounted to some £426 million and that over 50% of this related to employee theft
  • According to research by G4S an estimated 1 in 10 retail employees may be guilty of employee theft
  • Whilst retail is the obvious area for theft by employees, all business types are affected

Types of employment related theft can include :-

  • Money

Money is one of the most common assets that are stolen from employers.

  • Time

Theft of time occurs when an employee is paid for time which they did not work. Usually this happens through the falsifying of time records. Technically theft of time can also include employees who are not working while on the job, though legally this is more difficult to prove.

  • Supplies

Theft of supplies is another prevalent form of employee theft. Common examples of this form of theft are office supplies (paper, computers, cabinets, etc.) and restaurant supplies (food, condiments, silverware, etc.).

  • Merchandise and company property

Theft of merchandise refers to products that are to be sold. A good example of theft of company property is product displays.

  • Information

This is probably the most damaging of all the forms of theft that were mentioned earlier. Common examples of this are theft of product design and trade secrets. Businesses should be fully aware of how theft of information can cripple their business operations.

So, what is the best way to reduce theft ? the answer is simple. Proper and full employment screening will disclose a prospective employees past,w hether they have lied on their application. If they have, can they really be trusted generally ?

We provide cost effective, deatiled and thorough employment screening services and also have highly experienced and skilled investigators able to discreetly investigate suspected employee misconduct. In service industries, our computer forensics experts can often locate evidence of potential impropriety rapidly, discreetly and cost effectively.