Suspected employee theft: preparing for an investigation.

Write down the concern

Set out what appears to be missing, the relevant period and what first raised the question. Separate records and direct observations from assumptions about who may be responsible.

Identify relevant existing information

Note which business records may help explain the loss, such as stock, transaction or access records. Preserve relevant information you are authorised to retain, and obtain advice where material is sensitive or access is uncertain. Do not alter records to make them fit an explanation.

Keep the process fair

Acas describes workplace investigations as gathering evidence from all sides and establishing whether there is a case to answer. An investigator's findings do not replace the employer's appropriate internal process or specialist employment advice.

Do not improvise intrusive methods

Do not assume that a business concern authorises any kind of monitoring, search or access to personal information. Discuss the circumstances and appropriate boundaries before commissioning additional enquiries.

Consider what needs immediate attention

A private investigation should not delay action on an urgent safety concern or a reporting obligation. Seek the appropriate professional or authority's advice where those issues arise.

Discussing the matter with ASE

Begin with a general description of the loss and the question you need answered. Do not name the person you suspect or upload supporting records through the initial website form.

When to bring in an investigator

If you suspect an employee is stealing, you may not need outside help. Many concerns can be handled internally, particularly where the loss is small, the records are clear and nobody senior is involved.

An external investigator has no working relationship with the people involved, and using one means nobody in your team has to investigate a colleague. Outside support may be worth discussing in these situations.

• →The losses are significant or have continued over a long period
• →More than one person may be involved, or there may be collusion with a supplier
• →The person concerned is senior enough that an internal enquiry could be compromised
• →The matter may lead to a dispute, and your advisers want the facts established carefully from the start

Involving the police

Whether to involve the police is the business's decision. Some employers report a suspected employee theft straight away. Others deal with it through their internal process and consider recovery separately.

The decision can be easier to make with a clear, documented account of the loss than with a suspicion alone. Take advice on the options that fit your circumstances.

Where there is an urgent safety concern or a reporting obligation, do not wait for a private investigation before acting on it.

How long an investigation takes

There is no standard timescale for an employee theft investigation. It depends on the question, the volume of records and the work agreed.

Records usually need to be compared across a period long enough to show whether a pattern exists, rather than a single day or shift. The proposed timing should form part of the agreed scope.

Resist the urge to rush. A careful investigation serves the decision better than a hurried one.

What should I do first if I suspect an employee is stealing?

Write down what appears to be missing, the period involved and what raised the concern. Check how long relevant systems keep their records, as some overwrite them automatically, and preserve relevant information you are authorised to retain.

Limit knowledge of the concern to those who need to know, and avoid accusing or confronting anyone before the facts are clearer. Take advice if you are unsure what you can access or keep.

How is suspected employee theft established?

Usually through more than one independent source rather than a single anomaly. Records that show when losses occurred can be compared with records that show who was present, to see whether a consistent pattern exists.

A rumour or unusual behaviour is not evidence of theft. The facts may also point away from the original suspicion, and they need to be assessed fairly.

Can an employer dismiss someone on suspicion of theft alone?

Take specialist employment advice before making that decision. A suspicion is not a conclusion. An employer is generally expected to have reasonable grounds for its belief, based on a reasonable investigation, before deciding. An investigator's findings do not replace a fair internal process.