Digital copies of movies are downloaded to portable drives and sold or distributed on the Internet before the movie opens in the theater. An employee sets up a bogus company from which expense requests arrive at his desk for approval. Inventory leaves the warehouse before it is scanned as received from the distributor. These are a few of the ways that unscrupulous employees have stolen from their companies.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the top five ways that employees steal from their companies are:
- Taking cash at points of sale,
- Lifting merchandise from warehouses, showrooms, or stores,
- Taking office equipment and supplies for use at home or to sell to others,
- Falsifying expense and payroll forms to receive payment for work not done, or for fraudulent expenses,
- Removing company information and reselling it or otherwise using it for self gain.
If you’ve been in business for more than a few months, it’s likely that you have—or will soon—be the victim of employee theft. But there are other risks more costly and dangerous than theft. For example, safety protocols that are not followed can not only reduce your profits, they can cause the death of employees or clients.
How can you discover the illegalities and the safety and security issues that threaten your company before they put your company at risk? The answer is often, as the saying goes, “right before your eyes”.
Regardless of how much an employee may try to hide illegal activity, there are often other employees who suspect it, or have seen it, and could report it—provided they could do so anonymously.
Employee hotlines allow workers to leave feedback on potentially illegal behavior or on issues that threaten health and safety without having to worry about retaliation from another employee or even a supervisor—who may be the person responsible for the illegality or safety hazard.
Want more information on Employee Hotlines, ask us.
