Did you know that the
number one cause of retail theft in Australia last year was not from
shop lifters but from employees. In fact according to one leading
inventory management company over 43% of lost stock revenue is due to
employee theft. With this in mind, just how do you go about reducing
employee retail theft? Let’s take a closer look.
Run background
checks
The good news is that
with the onset of the internet age it’s easy to run background checks
on any potential employees you’re considering hiring. Have they had
any criminal convictions in the past, or have they had an infinite
number of jobs in a short space of time? If they have then these
might be indications that they’re more likely to steal from you if
they have the chance.
Use a buddy system
Always have two or more
people in the store at any one time. This is true especially when
opening and closing. By doing so, you’re likely to severely limit the
opportunity for anyone to steal from you.
Have a good security
regime
Consider carrying out
on the spot locker and bag checks. In addition you might also want to
check the skips outside as this a favourite place for hiding stolen
stock or money. Those who intend to steal from you know that no-one
wants to be seen poking around in rubbish and that’s why it’s often
stored there, ready to be picked up later. Also consider having clear
see-through rubbish bags, making concealment of stolen items more
difficult, and locking skips.
Keeping a virtual
eye on employees
The bottom one is that
employees will be far less likely to steal if they know that you’re
watching them. As well as the retail floor, place cameras in
storerooms and loading/unloading areas.
Make sure
communication lines are always open
If you run a large
retail outlet with several departments it isn’t always possible to
keep an eye on everyone yourself, so why not make everyone
accountable for retail security. Set up a confidential way that
employees can communicate any possible fraudulent activity to company
management and make it known that you will reward a staff member for
doing so. By empowering your staff to be vigilant about theft,
potential culprits are likely to think twice about stealing from you
because they stand a greater chance of being caught.
Bring in a security
guard
Finally, you can always
bring in the services of an experienced security company. They’ll
employ personnel who know what to look out for and can spot any
possible signs. Aside from this it’s yet another deterrent that might
make someone think twice about stealing from you.
If you’re looking to
beef up your retail security then you might want to speak to MA
Services Group. As well as event security we also specialise in
corporate and retail security too. To find out more about how we can
help you, why not give us a call on 1300 020 406 and
talk to our friendly but experienced team who can help.
