Many restaurant owners have a difficult time thinking about their employees stealing from them; however, sometimes it does happen. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, employee theft accounts for billions of dollars in losses for restaurant owners each year. This is why we find it especially important for restaurant owners to protect themselves from employee theft.
In order to prevent employee theft, you should be recognizing potential problems and work on stopping them before they happen.
- Inform your staff that you will NOT tolerate dishonesty. This will be your company policy, and will enforce the “zero-tolerance” policy involving theft. Explain that theft includes time, as well as cash. Taking a long lunch break, using sick leave when not sick, arriving late, or leaving before end of shift is considered theft of time.
- Perform routine audits and make sure that your employees know that you do them. Look at time clock reports, employee payouts, and discounts.
- Make sure you know what employees have keys or passcodes. If an incident occurs, you should know which staff is accountable. Employees should also not be responsible for more than one security measure. This means, one employee should do the record keeping and another should do the cash handling.
- Create a positive work environment that promotes open lines of communication, employee recognition, and fair employment practices. Having a positive work environment has been shown to avert employee theft.
- Always remind your employees that your door is open so they feel safe to report theft.
- Have security cameras installed to protect your business.
Another important aspect of restaurant ownership is having a great insurance policy. Our experienced agents here at Community Insurance will be able to find you an excellent policy. Give us a call today and we will get started on a free quote for you.