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Prevention of Employee Theft Essay

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Prevention of Employee Theft

Why do employees feel free to steal? Most employee theft occurs because it is too easy. What can a company do to prevent employee theft? What should a company do to employee thieves? The following paragraphs summarize a few ideas.

Employee theft is a crime that is costing U.S. companies a great deal of money. Employee thefts are growing in number, partially because the perpetrators really do not see themselves as criminals and rationalize what they are doing in much the same way as taxpayers rationalize income tax fraud. Employee theft is one of many personnel problems that is easier to prevent than to solve. Prevention should begin before an applicant becomes an employee. Some theft …show more content…

Other techniques include limiting the likelihood of collusion by regularly changing work-team assignments, strengthening internal control, and separation of duties. A phony theft might also be set up to see how quickly managers and staffers report it.

Another way that might prevent employee theft is through surveillance. In the early 1990's Long John Silver's Restaurants, Inc. installed surveillance cameras in their stores after having a history of internal losses. The cameras proved to work during one of many instances. One instance included a young cashier who had stolen over eighty dollars in less than two hours while working at the Long John Silver's drive-through window. Unfortunately for her, in the ceiling, over the drive-through register, a surveillance system had recorded her every move.

When presented with the videotaped evidence during a security interview, the cashier confessed to stealing more than $500 in five weeks. The employee later pled guilty to felony theft charges. She was ordered to make restitution to Long John Silver's for the full amount of her confessed theft. The restaurant recovered the stolen money and avoided the greater expense of prosecuting the theft (Price).

When a company finds evidence of employee theft, company officials must

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