How To Recognize Crimes Against Employees In Your Workplace

While most people believe that workplaces are safe and trustworthy, crimes against employees are on the rise. According to the National Center for Victims of Crimes, millions of employees experience violence or threats of violence in their workplace.

So to say, an estimated 15% of work-related deaths are a result of workplace violence. Besides these safety risks, businesses lose more than $130 billion in wages when functional employees are absent from the workplace due to violence.

This calls for serious interventions and preventive measures by managers, which is not always possible. Therefore, organizations should find ways of identifying and preventing workplace crimes.

What Constitutes Workplace Crimes?

Workplace crimes can occur in any of the following ways;

• Embezzlement – this is the most common form of workplace crime. It involves fraudulently personalizing a business or company’s entrusted property. This is usually a misdemeanor act but can escalate to a felony charge based on the seriousness of the act.
• Sabotage – workplace sabotage can occur in various forms. In most cases, unhappy employees can resort to revenge by harming the company or coworkers. This can include deleting the entire business database, physical harm to the employer and other employees. Some employees can also opt for the destruction of the company’s reputation. Unlike embezzlement, this is not a crime but affects the business negatively.
• Misuse of assets – closely relates to embezzlement is the misuse of company assets. This workplace crime occurs when employees use company products for personal benefits. This can be as petty as printing home items using company property. While it is harmless to company assets, it can cost the business over time. Most employees don’t realize this is a workplace crime. Therefore, managers should always be on the lookout to monitor every workers’ actions and verbal warnings if necessary.
• Sexual assault – discrimination based on sexual orientation is another serious workplace crime. According toEqual Employment Opportunity Commission, this can be as simple as unwanted jokes or comments, verbal or physical attention, and more. Generally, discriminatory harassments are comments aimed at making an employee uncomfortable due to their sexual, religious, or racial origins. Introducing stringent company policies can help eliminate these forms of harassment.
• Vandalism – theft or vandalism can occur anywhere at work. This is the deliberate damage or destruction of another person’s property. Installing surveillance cameras is the best way to curb this crime.
• Cyberbullying – despite being online, digital harassment is as serious as physical bullying. This includes posting demeaning comments or threats on social platforms, creating fake webpages to mock and belittle another person, and spreading fake allegations online.
• Physical harassment – physical assaults in the workplace occur in varying degrees. This ranges from unwanted gestures, such as touching workers’ hair, skin, face, or clothing, to severe actions, such as damaging personal property and threats of violence.

Identifying Workplace Crimes

Perpetrators of workplace crimes often exhibit one of the following behaviors;

• Increased substance abuse
• Regular absenteeism
• Notable deterioration in hygiene
• Verbal abuse and threats directed to other employees and managers
• Paranoia and inappropriate emotions
• Suicidal thoughts and comments
• Frequent violations of company policies
• Angry outbursts without provocation
• Depression, withdrawal, and mood swings
• Resistance to align to procedural changes
• Domestic issues in their personal life

In most cases, workplace offenders demonstrate more than one of the habits mentioned above.

Reducing Risks of Workplace Crimes

While preventing all workplace crimes is impossible, employers can reduce the prevalence of these crimes in the following ways;

1. Conduct a thorough background check before hiring – you should carefully examine the background of potential hires, especially any gaps in their employment history. This may suggest possible incarceration.
2. Adapt zero-tolerance policies – managers and human resource personnel should introduce strict policies against harassment, threats, and other crimes.
3. Establish a detailed response plan – companies should have a well-laid out reaction plan when threats occur. This can include issuing internal alerts, calling security officers, or accounting for everyone.
4. Create confidential reporting platforms – introduce a system that allows employees to report any existing threats discreetly.
5. Train managers on how to spot such behaviors – managers should be trained on identifying threats among employees before it’s too late.
6. Engage security professionals – you can consult professional security services for better recommendations.
7. Identifying root cause – the goal of recognizing workplace crimes is to ease the prevention of similar incidents from happening. To achieve this, you should uncover the root causes of such incidents.
8. Use case management software – you shouldn’t miss any information when investigating workplace crimes. A lost or distorted photo or interview can weaken the entire investigation. However, you can keep relevant data or documents with a case management system.

Protect Your Employees and Company

Workplace crimes can significantly affect the performance of your business. Therefore, as a company, you should adopt various measures and guidelines to protect your businesses. Similarly, employees should consult an employment lawyer to avoid harassment from employers and fellow workers.