When you think about money and assets going missing from your business, the last place you want to look is at your own staff. Especially when you’re a small business built on trust. But according to research conducted by Business Matters magazine in May 2017, over two thirds of British office based staff admitted to stealing from their workplace. This equates to more than 22.74 million people and a cost of £190 million to British businesses. Stark figures.

For many this would be a significant dip in profits, maybe even the difference between being successful and closing up shop. But there are things you can do before it gets that far. We’ve put together a list of ways to avoid employee theft and make sure you stay open for business.

Check your CCTV

Installing internal CCTV may seem like extreme measures, but these handy cameras are the easiest way to help you catch staff in the act. From store rooms to entrances and exits, having a good quality CCTV system helps to keep your business safe and give you a crystal-clear HD picture of what’s going on 24/7. They’re also a strong visual deterrent for anyone thinking about stealing from you.

Get the experts in

When you decide to install a CCTV system, you want to make sure every angle of your business is covered. Our experts are trained to pick out the right type of camera, resolution and positioning to keep commercial premises protected, so no need to worry about thieves going undetected.

Think Smart

You can’t be on-site 24/7, and you can’t check your cameras every five minutes either – after all you have a business to run. Smart apps let you set up scenarios that will send you notifications when movement is detected. So whether you’ve noticed things going missing from one area, or want to cover every angle, your app will let you know when there’s an intruder.

Keep it under lock and key

Installing door entry keypads is another great way to protect your business from theft. Access control means you can limit and monitor staff access to areas that house your stock or valuables. And you can integrate it with a smart app to see who’s been coming and going – meaning if something does go missing, you’ll know exactly who the culprits are.

Talk frankly

There’s a good chance your staff don’t know how much petty theft can damage your business. Where they see a couple of pens or a packet of crisps, you see the lifetime cost eating into your profits – and potentially shutting you down. Let them know exactly what staff theft does to a business in the long-term, you may just see an improvement.