Safeguarding Your Workplace: Strategies to Prevent Theft and Fraud.

In today’s hyperconnected world, safeguarding your business from pervasive workplace theft and fraud is inevitable, and demands a multifaceted approach. Enterprises are increasingly grappling with the metamorphosis of criminal tactics and the advancement of technology. These trends are a danger to any surviving business and require well-thought-out approaches to mitigate losses. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), organizations lose about 5% of their total revenue through fraud, which amounts to trillion dollars annually. This loss goes beyond financial, to damage of trust by customers, dented reputation, and legal ramifications.

To ensure your workplace is protected from these threats, it is paramount to institute solid strategies that address vulnerabilities across the business- policies, employee awareness, organization culture, and policies. Let’s delve into methods that you can employ to prevent theft and fraud in your industry.

Establishing a Culture of Integrity

It is essential to understand that a business is as good as its employees. This means that if the workforce is morally corrupted, this is reflected in your business, and the chances of making losses are high. Cultivating a culture of integrity is the foundation of dealing with fraud, and this has been supported by past research showing that institutions with high integrity culture experience less fraud. Does this resonate with you? Well, let’s look at the case of Wells Fargo, a financial institution embroiled in a scandal of fraudulent account openings. Due to the aggressive sales culture of the company, it incentivized employees to achieve unrealistic targets. This misconduct of wanting to achieve short-term gains damaged the company’s reputation.

A simple act of failing to act ethically can ruin your years of investment, a pitfall that businesses should avoid. This can happen by supporting workforce accountability, transparency, and honesty. As a human resource director, you are responsible for encouraging an open form of communication where employees can report any theft or fraudulent activities without fear. For you to effectively implement these, it is essential that you understand the nature of your corporate culture, and Lauth has seasoned experts in conducting corporate culture audits. We will ensure that the findings of the audit capture the weaknesses and provide workable recommendations.

Conducting Thorough Background Checks

“Trust but verify.” This adage should prevail when hiring new employees. Conducting a thorough background check is vital in identifying the red flags and mitigating the risk. The data released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) alludes that about one-third of job applicants provide false information on their resumes. This should scare you as a human resource director. Consider the Enron Energy Company case, deemed one of the heinous accounting frauds in history that led to its demise. If the company had conducted proper background checks on the executive, they might have uncovered the unethical behavior.

The rule of thumb is a background check is essential to prevent internal fraud and theft, which could potentially cripple your business. Most human resource directors need to pay more attention to this stage, as it is perceived to waste time. It’s understandable, but we must find a way to dispel the fact that such a process can be outsourced. Our private investigators are experienced in conducting comprehensive background checks and providing objective details that would save your company in the future.

Implementing Stringent Access Controls

We must uphold the importance of securing business’s information and critical data. Insider threats account for a high percentage of fraud incidents, emphasizing the significance of having strong access control. To avoid data breaches, it is imperative to implement pin codes, biometric scanners, and keycards since they are important tools for identifying and monitoring the activities of employees within the place of work.

Are all these stringent measures effective? The answer to this question might differ depending on whether your business has experienced a case of fraud or theft. However, it has been proven that establishing access control at the cash office prevents theft. This is because all log trails are left behind, and any theft can be traced to a specific employee. You need to know the source to mitigate. That’s why the fraud investigation service is elemental for your company.

Implementing Surveillance and Monitoring Systems

Deploying surveillance cameras and monitoring systems could be a step towards mitigating theft and fraud in the workplace. While it might intimidate the workers, it is a security awareness strategy. The study conducted by the University of North Carolina showed that cameras reduce theft and fraud by 51%. For example, in the retail sector, video analytics software can detect activities such as shoplifting and provide real-time information to security personnel to act. Now that our most excellent tool at Lauth is risk assessment, we can offer guidelines on where you could be missing regarding surveillance and monitoring. Secure your investment!

Conclusion

Safeguarding your business against theft and fraud needs a comprehensive approach, requiring you to examine your organization’s culture, existing policies, available technology, and employees’ awareness. Organizations can curb theft and fraud by implementing a culture of integrity, conducting background checks, implementing access control, and ensuring surveillance and monitoring systems. These protect your reputation and assets and uphold the culture of accountability. Lauth’s investigative services chip in to supplement your organization’s operational safety.