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SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO THEFT COURTESY OF DODGY
EMPLOYEES. HERE’S HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS FROM THREATS THAT LURK WITHIN.
rom the guy who does
cashies on the weekend
with your equipment to
the worker who embezzles money
to stockpile materials for personal
use, dodgy employees can pose a
significant risk to small businesses.
Contractors can be especially
vulnerable when they lack
practices and systems to prevent
wrongdoing. So what’s the best
way to safeguard your business
from potential employee risks?
F
HIRE WELL
First things first: don’t hire thieves.
It might sound more than a little
obvious but business coach Jon
Dale from Small Fish, a
consultancy that specialises in the
trades, says lots of contractors skip
crucial hiring steps that can help
to weed out dishonest workers.
Instead, he recommends using
a structured process to make
considered hiring decisions. Come
up with a job description and a list
of desired attributes, then check
for the characteristics when you’re
sorting through resumes and
interviewing candidates. Plus, Dale
says, “when you look at resumes
and are interviewing, ask questions
to check whether they are decent,
genuine people.”
Checking references is an
essential part of the hiring process.
If you’re concerned that many
candidates only list mates who will
talk them up, Dale suggests asking
20 GEMCELL.COM.AU AUG – SEPT 2019
for one character reference and
speaking to their previous
employer. “Ask the previous
employer why they left and
whether they’d employ them again
– if they say no, don’t hire them.”
For extra insurance, consider a
longer probation period for new
hires. “I give them an extended
probation period of six months,
instead of the standard three
months, and I add another three
or six months at the end of that
probation if I’m not entirely
satisfied with them,” says Michael
Negro from Infinity Electrical.
BUILD A POSITIVE CULTURE
“If people don’t like you or don’t
think you like them, or they think
you’re driving around in your
Ferrari making money at their
expense, and they want to steal
from you, they’ll find a way,” says
Dale. The solution? Encourage
employees not to steal from you by
developing a supportive business
culture where you look after them,
and they look after you.
Backscratching optional.
“Have a culture of supporting
each other, doing the right thing
and doing a good job, and make
that important,” says Dale. “Lead
from the front, reward good
behaviour and don’t tolerate bad
behaviour. If people steal, sack
them immediately.”
He says one of the most
significant contributors to bad