Effective Tips for Preventing Theft in the Workplace

Building a trustworthy, responsible business requires more than following laws and OSHA regulations. Theft can occur in your office, whether it’s an employee’s personal items or company property. So business owners must be ready to prevent theft from happening under their watch. Check out these effective tips for preventing theft in the workplace to see how you can adjust your practices for the better.
Maintain Accurate Inventory Logs
If your business holds equipment inventory for employees, create an accurate log. With this log, you can require employees to sign off when they take out equipment to ensure they bring it back. That way, if someone takes off with a video camera, welding mask, or something else relevant to your industry, you can easily find where it is.
For this reason, you should also give your equipment unique labels, whether it’s a random assortment of numbers and letters or abbreviated terms. By keeping the label unique to that equipment, you can keep track of all individual inventory items.
Create a Secure Mail System
Effective tips for preventing theft in the workplace include updating your mail system. In your office, are packages and other mail left out in the open upon arrival? If you have mailboxes, are they securely locked? Take time to boost mail system security if you haven’t yet.
For instance, one of the top advantages of cluster mailboxes for a business is that they are locked, so only the recipient can open their designated box. This will keep your mail out of unwanted hands from passersby outside or someone within your company. In addition, a secure mail system will help you prevent clutter due to packages and letters piling up in the lobby.
Keep an Eye on Your Employees
Business owners should keep an eye on their employees, but we’re not suggesting that your new daily job be to shadow everyone. Business owners have other responsibilities to focus on, so how do they monitor employees carefully? Of course, a surveillance system is a must, but don’t neglect face-to-face discussions. Whether monthly or quarterly, schedule meetings with your employees where you can sit down and get to know them, their goals, and their current feelings in the workplace.
This is helpful for many reasons, such as helping employees learn how to achieve a promotion to a specific role. Another benefit is that you can get an idea of which employees seem disgruntled or deceptive. That way, if something goes missing in the workplace, you may have an idea of who has the motivation to do it. There’s a difference between being overbearing and carefully monitoring employees, so using the tips above will help you achieve the latter.
Try these tips today to make your workplace a safer, more secure place for everyone, including yourself.