Need advise, dealing with a potential thief in the company

[newcastle phill]

Most often these days, if you can't solve the crime yourself - the police wont be able to do it for you.

Its an interesting thread will follow how this pans out..

 

[Radioman]

There is no access to a tribunal for unfair dismissal unless the OP exposes himself to it via one of protected categories (ie by sacking the guy for being black, gay, disabled, a union activist etc etc). If he just says "you are not suitable, goodbye", and pays the contractual notice, then that's that.

To summarily dismiss (ie without notice) would be harsh to my mind given the lack of "smoking gun" evidence.

I would not be inclined to set a trap. Sure, if he takes it, thats clear. But if he doesn't take it, that doesn't prove he is innocent. He may just have sussed out that its a trap. Or whatever devil it is that turns a good lad into a thief may not be in him today.

I can imagine the OPs dilemma. At the moment it's only company and employees stuff going missing, if that escalated to customers property and he was caught on cctv I bet a prosecution would follow. I don't think people realise just how many homes have wifi recording cctv these days, certainly in my area I had customers and I have friends who have remote cameras so they can watch their dogs from their desks, let alone the family jewels! I have dummy cameras outside my house as a deterrent, 3 for £14 on eBay. And this little jobby wifi action cam recording in 2K to monitor the workshop.

iPhone 6 for scale

Personally I couldn't live with the suspicion, it would eat me up. I would follow Ray's method, get rid now. Don't involve the police, and if you get asked for a reference for him by a future employer, be very careful what you put in print and verbally comment. On the subject of references, how many of you actually bother to check that the reference you have been given are genuine and true?

Following on from that, what do you do to protect yourselves from accusations by customers? How many of you insist on CRB checks for staff who are handling valuable stock, vehicles, are left alone in customers property.

 

[Millsy 82]

Get rid as soon as possible. You cant trust him now so how can you trust him in the future? If it is true as well it will only happen more often and more value! What you going to do wait until he steals someones valuable heirloom Also nothing will kill a company quicker than having a thief working for you

 

[Millsy 82]

Get rid of him now don't wait.

If he is stealing then it will only get more often and for more valuable stuff. You don't want to wait until he steals some ones valuable heirloom that money cant replace.

I once worked with a lad that started off taking bags of fittings to the scrappies straight from the merchants, next it was he would buy a bundle of copper and scrap everything he didn't use (sometimes he would use a few foot and scrap a hole bundle) He then started filling his car up with company fuel (I was getting through £50.00 a week and had to drive 20 miles each way and he was getting through double and lived about 2 miles from site) The last straw was a 24V drill, Charger and batteries went missing we all got called in and all of us were made to feel guilty then the next day he was gone.

My foreman heard about where he was working next and then went and had a little chat with the boss and shortly after he was gone after apparently ordering a bundle of coper for a job that he used about 2 meters when the boss asked him to go and get the rest off the van he couldn't.

A thief in your company will kill it quicker than ripping off people!

 

[acecharly]

When he steals from you customers and your name is dirt it wont matter if hes the champion plumber of the world...you business will be ruined.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

I didn't know you're an ex fuzz rocket?

I'm not

I was a lowly civvie!!

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Any update MichaelT?

What action have you taken?