SCREENING SOLUTIONS
Employee Theft: The Profit Killer
As a child, did you ever walk past a plate of mom's fresh baked cookies and think to yourself, "I can just take one cookie; she'll never notice"? Unfortunately, that's the mindset of many employees, an estimated 79 percent of them to be exact. As hard as it is to believe that someone you hired to fill a trusted position in your company would actually steal from you, it happens every day. And it is estimated that up to 75 percent of all employee theft goes unnoticed.
Employee theft is an ever-increasing risk in today's business world. Whether it's taking a roll of tape from the supply room or pocketing cash from the register, it's all considered employee theft. While some employees think that swiping a few items on occasion doesn't mean much, CNN reports that one out of every three companies goes out of business as a result of employee theft. It is estimated that employee theft costs employers upwards of $40 billion a year. That's a lot of pens and paper clips to replace!
Since there are as many signs of theft as there are ways to steal, the list of warning signs is endless. There is no real physical profile for a dishonest employee; they come in all shapes, sizes, ages, sexes, ethnic backgrounds, religions, levels of education and economic status. You simply cannot determine who is likely to steal based on demographics alone.
Even the most thorough review of an applicant's resume or application can't tell you the whole story about a job candidate. Studies show that nearly one third of all resumes and applications contain inaccurate information. This could be anything from exaggerating their experience, adjusting their dates of employment to appear to have been employed regularly, or leaving blank questions regarding criminal convictions.
So, what's an employer to do?
Pre-employment screening of prospective employees is one of the most effective tools in preventing employee theft. An employer can make reasonable assumptions based on a background check because a person's past conduct often is the best predictor of their future behavior. InfoMart employs several different methods to help prevent employees from providing you with false and misleading information.
Recognizing employee theft as a growing national concern, the Criminal Department here at InfoMart strives to provide you with the most accurate background information so you can make sound hiring decisions. Our highly trained personnel go straight to the source and get the whole story to uncover the early warning signs of a potentially dishonest employee. By utilizing services such as Criminal History, Multi-State Criminal and Federal Criminal history search, you can protect yourself from becoming a statistic in this growing problem affecting companies around the world.
Employee theft is a profit killer; don't let it be the death of your business!
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