“Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths” – Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1664

TIME THEFT - WSIB FRAUD  - THEFT - ACCOUNTING FRAUD - HARASSMENT -

BREAK & ENTERS - ROBBERY - HIJACKING - CORPORATE ESPIONAGE - DRUG USE

Although our society is becoming increasingly more polarized, cocooned and suspicious of each other, we still rely and operate under the basic principles of trust.  Without trust there is no security. Without security there is no trust. Many of the transactions in our lives depend on a well-intentioned commitment or the strength of a handshake.

Trust takes much longer to gain than it is to lose.  It is the fabric which binds a civilized and industrialized world.  The loss of trust is the virus that erodes employee relations, productivity, competitive advantage and the bottom line.  When trust has been damaged, the only solution is to find the truth.  For employers, that means confirming or questioning the integrity of their workforce, weed out the bad apples and be confident that they have a workforce that is loyal, dedicated and most of all, trustworthy.

A few of the common methods of identifying risks in the workplace are:

• Surveillance can achieve the goal of confirming a person’s actions when they believe they are outside of the watchful eye of management.  This is beneficial in determining the activities of an outside sales rep, an employee selling trade secrets, a WSIB claimant who may be working elsewhere and many other scenarios.
• A properly executed interview by a skilled interviewer can find what is happening inside someone’s mind, things they have done, what motivates them and what caused certain actions to occur.  It can also develop intelligence about weaknesses in company systems and gather information about activities that are commonly known at the employee level but that management may not be aware of.
• CCTV systems can be our eyes for both safety and security purposes.  They can watch 24-hours a day in areas that traditional surveillance does not apply.  A good quality camera system can document evidence of thefts, workplace accidents, break and enters, harassment and so many other activities.
• Audits will expose weaknesses in the system and identify evidence of previously hidden activity.  An audit will also provide you with a structured approach, a roadmap if you will, to address vulnerabilities in your systems.
• Technology in the workplace can help to interpret people’s activities such as reviewing access control logs, time cards and log-ins to the company’s computer network.
• Computer Forensics can dissect the history of a person’s activities including their email communications, deleted files, online activities that expose fraudulent activities, theft of trade secrets, embezzlement, and other illegal acts.
• Education & Training programs can share information about deviant occurrences in the workplace and their effect on employees’ livelihoods.  Training results in a much better educated workplace that can identify wrongful acts and have the tools to prevent situations before they happen.  There is also a new wave of affordable online delivery methods for training.  Education can also help employees make a difference through tools such as a tips line that can empower employees to take an active role in addressing issues that impact the workplace.

The bottom line is there is hope.  Identifying the root causes of issues in the workplace and addressing them will result in a workforce that is loyal, dedicated and trustworthy.  With trust comes security.  With security comes peace of mind.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE - LOAD THEFT - HIGH-RISK TERMINATIONS - THREATS

SHOPLIFTING - SEXUAL HARASSMENT - TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT - SABOTAGE

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32