Images Digital Edition March 2019

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 24 images MARCH 2019 ■ The annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2018 was 1.4%, the lowest since 2012, reports the Office for National Statistics. Manufacturing and construction declined in the last quarter of 2018, while services continued to grow with the health sector, management consultants and IT all doing well, making them good markets for decorators to target. ■ Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd has said that directors who recklessly put workers’ pensions at risk will face up to seven years in prison or unlimited fines. Minimum contribution rates under automatic enrolment are due to rise from 5% to 8% in April. www.gov.uk How can I spot if one of my employees is stealing? E mployee theft can have a serious effect on your company, potentially causing it to lose money, slow down production and even develop a poor reputation. While you need to be careful that you are not constantly being overly suspicious of all your employees, you should keep your eyes open for any indication that theft is taking place and know how best to respond to it. Tell-tale signs of theft Signs to look out for include workers refusing to hand over certain job tasks, displaying sudden instances of poor performance or boasting about a personal lifestyle that does not match their salary. While there could be a number of explanations for this type of behaviour, it could also be an indication that the worker is doing something that they shouldn’t. All takings and till floats, along with inventories and stock, should be regularly checked in order to identify any discrepancies. It is also useful to liaise with your workers: have any of them been complaining about missing items or till shortages, and do they have an idea who is responsible? You are able to use workplace monitoring techniques, such as CCTV systems, however this should be done in line with current data protection laws. If you do believe that an employee is stealing from your company, your response should depend upon the severity of the act. For example, stealing stationery from the cupboard is a relatively minor offence and can probably be approached through an informal talk with the employee or a general reminder to everyone that office facilities are for office use only. However, if it is a more serious accusation you should conduct a full investigation to gather all relevant evidence and establish the facts. Is this an isolated incident or has it occurred on a number of occasions? Are there any witnesses to this conduct or video recordings? The accused should also be given an opportunity to explain their actions and, at this stage, you should seek legal advice to find out if criminal charges could be brought against them. It is important to carefully document and consider all evidence available to you before making a final decision to reprimand or dismiss the employee. If it is later found that you deliberately did not consider something that calls the whole accusation into question, the employee may be able to claim they were unfairly dismissed. Recoverable losses In a situation where you have been able to prove that the employee did steal from you, the amount lost may be recoverable from their wages if this is clearly specified within their contract. Check references carefully It is always advisable and preferable to take the necessary steps to prevent employee theft from occurring in the first place. Ask for (and check) references for potential employees to gain a better understanding of who you are employing. You could also hold on- going training to inform employees of the expectations placed upon them regarding their conduct and also to educate them in how to spot the signs that their colleagues might be stealing items. In order to minimise the opportunity an employee may have to steal from you, you should keep tasks as separate as possible – for example, don’t allow just one person to be in charge of, or solely responsible for, all aspects of stock taking and money processing. Expert advice on the business of running a garment decoration company Q&A Kate Palmer is associate director of advisory at Peninsula, which provides professional services, including employment law, HR and health & safety, to more than 30,000 businesses in the UK and Ireland. www.peninsulagrouplimited.com