Freddie Wehbe, owner of Gator Domino;s, was gutsy enough to be forthright about employees stealing from him. As the owner of eight Domino Pizza Franchises for Wehbe it can be difficult on the best of days figuring out if employees are stealing from him, which ones, and how much they are taking from the till.
In this case, according to the article on Gainesville.Com, Wehbe declared that one employee has stolen $10,000, having figured out a way to manipulate the pizza inventory and the sales receipts. In short, the thieving employee was skimming but apparently was original in the way he plotted it out. As the economic downturn continues, this would not be the first person to engage in employee theft. Stats for employee theft have been increasing as more financially pressed employees turn to desperate moves.
The FBI considers employee theft as the fastest growing crime in America. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has determined that seven percent of a business’ gross sales revenue is lost to internal theft or shrinkage. The typical business can average losses more of $9 a day per employee due to fraud and abuse.
As for Wehbe, his Gator Domino’s now mandates background checks and drug tests on every employee. I would also suggest the Motor Vehicle Driving Records, or MVRs as the driving reports can be great indicators of substance abuse issues and desultory behavior. With drug tests, an employer is vetting those job applicants with substance abuse issues. Drug Tests an an increasingly significant part of an preemployment screening program. More employers are resorting to these just to see what trouble they may be putting into the workplace. Substance abuse, besides the on-the-job safety risks, can indicate poor production and possible workplace violence.
Criminal background checks are obvious in vetting out the thieves with prior convictions. but not all workplace thieves have prior criminal records, so it is increasingly important to utilize other background checks for an overall preemployment screening program. As Freddie Wehbe learned, check them out before you hire.
