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Safeguarding Your Office

Amy Morin

June 13, 2013

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Offices provide thieves with many opportunities to steal anything from office supplies to large sums of money. 

In addition to becoming easy targets for employee theft, offices can also be quite vulnerable to theft from outside people as well.

It’s essential that every small business take steps to keep office property safe.

Why You Need to Safeguard Your Office

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that an employee is 15 times more likely to steal from a business than a non-employee. Unfortunately, 75 percent of those thefts go unreported.

It's costing American businesses between $20 and 440 billion annually. It's no wonder that employee theft is blamed for about one third of all business bankruptcies.

Start with the Employees          

The last thing you want is for your own employees to be helping themselves to your supply closet or skimming off the top. Employee fraud and theft can seriously hurt your business.

Ask any potential employees about their criminal history. Conduct background checks before hiring anyone. Only hire employees that you feel can be trusted at your business.

Establish clear rules about office place theft. Provide employees with training about theft and fraud policies. It can be a great preventive measure and a wonderful investment.

Enforce policies with consequences. If employees see you are serious about a zero tolerance policy, they’ll be much less likely to behave dishonestly.

Control Inventory  

Keep a close eye on your entire inventory, right down to the office supplies. When you have a small group of employees stealing just a few supplies, it can quickly add up to thousands of dollars.

If you can’t personal control the inventory, institute policies that will keep your employees honest.

For example, some retail stores have store managers conduct inventory in other stores. Or you can assign inventory to employees on a rotating basis to ensure the numbers add up.

Protect Against Burglary

Since most offices are empty in the evenings, they can become prime targets for thieves. Don’t make it easy for them:

* Keep any valuables locked up. Use a safe to tuck away cash or items of value.

* Keep lights on at night as well. This can help make it obvious when someone is trying to break in or if a burglar is lurking inside the building.

* Install an alarm system. It can be a great investment that will deter most thieves from entering and those that do, will be caught before they have an opportunity to steal any of your items.

Protect Your Computer

Remember to safeguard your computer system. Many businesses have met their demise because secret information was leaked.

If you keep sensitive information, such as customer credit card numbers, employee social security numbers or bank records, it is essential that you take measures to safeguard the information.

A business computer is vulnerable to being hacked or can become susceptible to malware. Unprotected computers can also become victim to fraudulent employees looking to steal information.

Educate yourself about measures you can use to keep your information safe. Purchase appropriate software and programs that can help protect sensitive information and only allow employees who have undergone background checks to access sensitive information.

Safeguarding your office can be one of the best investments you’ll make.

Although many business owners overlook the importance of keeping your office safe, it can certainly make a big difference in the success of your business in the long-term.

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