Three out of four of your employees will steal from you this year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. One of those people will steal repeatedly or has already done so. Let this situation continue and your business has a one in three chance of declaring bankruptcy and going under.
Employee theft statistics for 2012 show that companies in the United States will lose between $20 and $40 billion to small-scale pilfering and large-scale embezzlement. If you already have effective controls in place, you may notice the cash, office supplies or inventory items that go missing. If you are like most small business managers, however, you have too many duties on your plate to notice the other thefts happening behind your back. Trade secrets, internal documents and proprietary technology can all slip out of your organization for years without anyone noticing. In fact, 75 percent of employee crimes are never caught. [click to continue…]
In the post “Workplace Violence: Forget the Myths and Get the Facts” I highlighted that every employer, no matter the size of the company, needs to prepare and think proactively as it relates to violence in the workplace.
Today’s follow up post is a quick laundry list of 7 steps to consider when dealing with workplace violence:
1. Create and share your harassment and violence policies, including appropriate disciplinary measures
2. Train all employees on ways to prevent, detect and report violent acts. [click to continue…]
Over two million Americans are harmed each year through workplace violence. Nearly 500 of these cases end in at least one death. As a business owner or manager, you have the legal and moral obligation to protect your staff. By understanding how to prevent violence and detect the signs of potential incidents, you can ensure the safety and security of everyone in your business family, including yourself.
Myth: Workplace violence occurs only in well-known corporations in big cities.
Reality: The Washington Post reports that small businesses take on a greater risk of violence due to their limited security officers and disaster response training. Violence occurs in many forms including assaults, stalking, threats, shootings, robberies, rapes and murders. [click to continue…]
Firing an employee is never easy, but it is especially difficult when you rarely need to perform the task. Working in a small business, you cannot afford the same legal slip-ups as large corporations. Instead of guessing what information to include in an official employee termination letter, use these tips to let your former worker know exactly where he or she stands.
1. Stick to the facts. Do not embellish the truth, either for the worker’s benefit or for your own. Avoid language that is discriminatory, biased or derogatory.
2. Focus on specific criteria for continued employment. If your termination case goes to court, you want to be able to show measurable, objective standards for all individuals in the same job classification. For instance, you can document the occasions the employee had been absent or tardy versus the acceptable limit, the number and severity of customer complaints and the amount of unfinished work. [click to continue…]
