Internal frauds rank amongst the leading causes of monitory losses for millions of companies worldwide. The number of fraudulent activities has only become higher with each passing year. The rapid growth in technology has also fuelled this in recent years with frauds becoming more sophisticated.
While it may be impossible to contain all kinds of frauds everywhere, there certainly are methods that keep the possibilities to the minimum. So what can you do to ensure your business is operating in a fraud-resistant environment? Here are a few tips that can help.
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Recruiting Policy
The hiring policy that your business follows should comprise a comprehensive framework, devoid of loopholes. Before on-boarding, an employee, be sure to run a thorough background check of their previous employment, experience, educational qualifications and legal history. If you’re ready to screen an employee, check out these New Hampshire background checks to see what is included in a report.
Search criminal records or a police check is a helpful tool in getting the criminal record verified for each candidate you are considering for employment. Running online searches for public profiles and social media handles of a candidate can also give you vital information about their past activities, behaviour and inclinations.
Code of Conduct
Every organisation has a set of ethical practices that it adheres to. Sharing these values through employee on-boarding sessions, diligent training, and regular communication is the first step towards promoting the right behaviour.
Leading by example, managers and business owners can portray the qualities they want their subordinates to embody in their day-to-day work. When good work ethics are demonstrated by the more experienced workers, the new ones would follow in their footsteps.
Zero-Tolerance Policy
For miscreants, it becomes difficult to act on fraudulent intentions when they feel everyone around them behaving in a rightful manner. Most companies around the world follow a ZTP for actions of financial misdemeanour and the right action against the offenders discourages others from attempting to do similar things.
Training
Having a strict anti-fraud policy in place is not enough. As a business owner, you have to make sure all your employees are made aware of the policy when they join and reminded of it from time to time through e-mails, flyers and staff meetings.
Other than that, you should also include a training program for your supervisors and managers to spot fraudulent behaviour as soon as the first signs show up.
Reporting
Employees can sometimes be in a dilemma about reporting suspicious behaviour about their co-workers. This is why you should have a supportive reporting structure in place that conceals the identity of staff members reporting the activity. Following the complaint swiftly with the investigation and proper action will not just instil confidence in their minds, but also send a strong message that your company deals with such incidents with seriousness.
While these guidelines can help you gain better peace of mind, nothing can completely override the chances of fraud. In case you have recently suffered or suspect a fraudulent practice in your business, seeking professional help from Australia’s leading criminal lawyers can be greatly beneficial.
