Each employee you hire is one more member of the big family that is your company, one more person in whom you place your trust, but what to do when this trust is broken because an employee is stealing from you? What is the right way to react to this situation? And most importantly, how to communicate to your customers that a trusted employee has left?
You may catch an employee stealing products, supplies or money from the company. An employee may violate company policies by using intellectual property incorrectly or filling out the timesheet incorrectly to get paid for time not worked. Any form of employee theft hurts your business and presents you with a crisis management situation. How you handle theft can be guided by the following points:
1. Investigate the employee you suspect of stealing.
Before moving forward with any action. Gather evidence of the theft through financial documents, video monitoring or seeing the theft firsthand. Hire a third party that specializes in employee theft detection to confirm your suspicions.
2. Document all incidents of theft.
Write down the date, time and what was stolen as evidence if you decide to terminate the employee. Include any supporting material, such as video of the theft or inaccurate financial statements..
3. Evaluates the employee's position in the company and the severity of the thefts.
Be aware of the consequences for the thief, including a written warning, probation, return, or cancellation. Remember that the employee may steal from you again if you don't fire him or her.
Allowing the employee to remain with the company may send the wrong message to other employees.
File a police report if you feel the seriousness of the offense warrants it. You're probably not going to file a report for stealing notepads from the supply closet, but the theft of 15 pairs of jeans from your retail store or thousands of dollars from the company bank account is serious enough for legal action. Filing a police report gives you another piece of documented evidence, particularly if you choose to fire the employee. The police report backs up your story if the employee accuses you of lying about the theft.
Take our "Employee Theft Template" and learn how to improve performance.
4. Talk to the employee about the theft
Talk to the employee about the theft accompanied by at least one other person in the room for security reasons. If the employee becomes aggressive, the second person can help control the situation. Let the employee know your decision about his or her future with the company.
5. Escort the employee to his or her desk.
Escort the employee to collect his personal belongings if you decide to terminate him. Collect his ID card, keys and other company items that allow access to the building. Lead him to the door.
6. Change security codes
Change the security codes or other information the employee has if you terminate the employee. This protects the building and prevents further problems or theft.
How do you communicate to customers that a trusted employee has left?
Over time, an employee builds a relationship with a customer. The customer comes to trust the employee, preferring to work directly with the employee. This means that the customer talks to the trusted employee to handle problems or make sales. When the employee has to leave the company, the client might feel lost in the confusion.. The company manager must act quickly and carefully, to inform the customer of the employee's departure and avoid losing the customer.
Assign an employee to act as a point of contact for the customer. The employee should handle incoming calls from the customer's phone and resolve any questions the customer may have regarding the change.
Making the customer feel like a priority will reduce the risk of losing the account.
Assign an employee to be in charge of the client's account. Select the point of contact or a different employee if the point of contact does not work in the sales department. Make sure the new account leader is familiar with the account and keeps orders up to date.
Write a formal letter or e-mail to the client informing them of the employee's departure. Use concise, but polite language. Anticipate the customer's main concerns by providing them with the name and phone number of their new point of contact and account manager. Mail or e-mail the letter to the customer.
Schedule a meeting with the customer to discuss your concerns in person. Arrange to meet the customer at the company's office. Have the manager, point of contact and account leader present at the meeting. Address any of the customer's questions or concerns.
Por Shelley Frost
With 16 years of experience and strengths in strategic planning, teamwork and creative thinking. Expert in public relations and marketing tools to help organizations achieve their goals.