If you have seen suspicious behavior at the company you work at you will want to know the answer to the question ‘how do you report theft in the workplace?’ It can be difficult to handle a situation like this. Because there are possible repercussions for being the person to report criminal activity to your employer.
You do not want to find yourself in a difficult situation. With either your colleagues or your boss over a situation that you got involved in.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you think you may have seen something illegal taking place at work, it is a good idea to keep in mind the following advice and tips.
Before you Report Theft – Make sure you know exactly what you saw
If you saw a colleague or a manager doing something suspicious. For example slipping some work stationary into their bag, you will probably feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The nature of deviant behavior is that it is always going to be underhand and quiet.
An individual will be very likely to keep their doings quiet and below the radar. So you will probably only ever see a small part of what they do.
However, you may not have seen what you think you saw after all. Unless you saw the whole activity from start to finish. Or if you have seen repeated deviant behavior from one member of staff. It is a good idea to be sure of what you saw before you take action.
If you think you have witnessed a colleague stealing something at work but you are not sure, it may not be a good idea to approach them and ask them about it openly.
You do not want to get involved in what they are doing and you do not want to make yourself a target either.
It may be a good idea to discreetly find out from the staff responsible for the stationary cupboard (or whatever area you think may have been robbed) if there is anything missing.
If you are still not sure, it may be a good idea to keep an eye on the individual (without them knowing about it of course). And watch to see if anything suspicious happens again.
If you are 100 % sure that the individual has committed theft it is then time to take action.
Do not tell your colleagues
Even if you are unsure about whether you should report the theft and you want some reassurance from a colleague, avoid the temptation to talk about it.
If you have decided to report the theft, then that is fine. But you should not tell everyone in the office about it. It could backfire on you. And it will certainly mean that the individual who committed the theft will know who told on them.
It goes without saying that you should not approach the individual who committed the theft at all.
How do you report theft in the workplace?
The first thing that you should do is get your story straight. A theft is a serious matter and you want to be able to give in your information clearly and then step out of the picture.
Make a note of the time that you saw the suspicious behavior. Know exactly where you saw it and what you saw.
WHO you report the crime to depends on the type and size of the company you work at.
If you work at a small company where you and the individual who committed the crime share a direct manager, you should report the crime to the manager. They will probably ask you for a written statement.
You can, however, request to remain anonymous.
If you work for a larger company and you have different managers, you should approach your human resources manager. They will also ask you for a written statement. If there is a dismissal or a trial, you may be called upon as a witness.
Criminal Record Searches
Companies are faced with theft in the workplace on an alarming scale. Therefore it is a good idea for managers and those in a position of authority to run a criminal record check on certain employees. These checks can be very helpful and can be done discreetly online.