SAN FERNANDO : Theft by Employees Plagues Businesses

Business owners who find their inventory shrinking as quickly as their bottom line are probably the victims of internal theft, according to a security consultant who addressed the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking as part of the chamber’s new members speaking program, Mark Gleckman said, “Most people don’t think it’s happening to them, but in fact it’s happening to everyone.” Gleckman addressed the group at a recent membership luncheon in Granada Hills.

Gleckman, a 25-year veteran of the security business, said that for the last year he has been going into businesses and assessing their security risks.

“I tell them where their deficiencies are and how to repair or improve them,” Gleckman said.

Where theft is persistent, business owners can install security cameras that look like smoke detectors. That is an expensive tactic, however, and in most cases a few preventive measures will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, theft.

Stating and enforcing a policy on theft can make a big difference, Gleckman said, as does consistently prosecuting anyone who is caught.

“If you were working for that company, it might make you think twice about stealing,” Gleckman said. He also suggests conscientious auditing, checking register tapes or computer records to identify problems before they turn into major losses.

“About 80% of all company losses are internal theft,” Gleckman said. “In a small business, the problem can be bad enough to actually close it down.”

Gleckman theorizes that 10% of all employees will steal no matter what, while another 10% will never steal under any circumstances.

“The other 80% are the ones you want the rules and regulations to affect,” he said. “They can go either way and if the opportunity is there, they may take it and the opportunity is just poor security maintenance.”