The expenses for "stationery" seemed extremely high.
Reordering of paper was being done on a monthly basis,
and CDs were virtually being purchased by the gross.
The employer assumed she used these supplies, after all,
she was very busy and didn't have time to look over every
single purchase, that was done by one of the secretaries.
It doesn't take much analysis to understand the secretary,
realizing her boss oblivious to the expenditures, did what
she pleased.
On investigation, I learned everyone in that outer office
from the other secretary, to the messenger, to the driver,
was getting a weekly "top up" of their salaries.
There is no sense in being so busy you become an easy target
for this kind of scam.
Imagine sitting up all night with a brief or presentation
or new campaign, and the payment you have worked for going
into the pockets of staff you already pay. You may begin to
appreciate that being so "busy" is costing you.
Further, once your staff practices this kind of scam, it
means they have lost respect for you. When your employees do
not respect you, there is no further insult that can be paid.
You can rest assured any private or personal business your
staff is aware of is made public knowledge, and any error you
may make will be blown out of proportion.
It is not so much the dollars they steal from you, it is the
'sense'.
Begin to consider; do you really go through one hundred and
twenty five pieces of paper a week? That is the only reason
you would need to order a ream every month.
Twenty CDs?
How much data are you collecting?
A dozen pens?
Are you giving them away as gifts?
Where are your supplies? When was the last time you looked?
Another clever practice is for an employee to talk a boss
into buying a large number of items at one time. This makes
stealing so much easier.
Buying a dozen toner cartridges in January, going back for
another dozen in April will often be accepted.
That eleven cartridges are hidden behind the file cabinet,
and will, as soon as the money is dispensed, appear on the
shelf, would only be caught by an employer who is not too
'busy' to find out exactly how long a cartridge should last.
Depending on how big your business is, you may lose hundreds,
thousands, millions of dollars via this kind of scam.
If you really are too busy to make yourself aware of what is
going on in your outer office, consider hiring a consultant
who can monitor what is going on.
This consultant should be hired on a temporary basis, and
given some excuse such as doing a Masters in Office
Management, or helping with a category of work.
Do not hire any full time assistant to prevent adding another
hand to the division of spoils.
Remember, once your staff ceases to respect you, it is
time to get a new staff.
