Have you ever wondered what goes on in your business when you’re not around? If you asked your employees to tell you, chances are you might learn a thing or two. But there are a lot more things they probably wouldn’t tell you.
It’s just human nature: employees may be happy to “dish” on one another, but most hesitate to “snitch” to management even when they perceive a serious performance problem. Why? Because complaints can lead to trouble, and most employees would rather put up with a handful of known problems than fly to the troubles that may await should they tell on a co-worker. As a result, certain types of bad performance can persist undetected for a long time.
Flying Under the Radar
Four performance issues are particularly likely to go unreported, slowly draining money from your business through lost productivity and direct theft. Consider the following scenarios.
Workers’ Comp: An employee says she injured her foot on the job. Her co-workers know she injured it at home and is filing for workers’ comp so she can get the time off with pay. Think they’ll tell you?
Unemployment: An employee threatens a co-worker and you fire him for misconduct. He claims you misrepresented the argument and files for unemployment. Suddenly, it’s your word against his.
Productivity: You run three shifts with identical duties and staff levels. One shift is consistently behind, throwing off all the others. They insist they need more staff, but you’re sure they’re just wasting time. What can you do?
Theft: Every week, you’re losing merchandise, especially during a certain employee’s shift. You’re pretty sure he’s stealing, but you don’t want to confront him unless you have proof. Do you have to let it go?
In situations like these, employers are at a disadvantage because they don’t have any evidence to act on. Often it’s easier just to pay up than to confront an employee or contest an employee’s claims without proof.
So What Can You Do?
Video surveillance cameras can help eliminate these kinds of performance problems in two ways.
One, video surveillance deters bad behavior before it can become a long-term performance problem. CIA can place cameras over cash registers and in other critical areas to address specific vulnerabilities or performance problems in your business. When cameras are rolling—just like when you’re standing there watching—productivity and compliance tend to improve automatically.
Two, video surveillance gives you solid, irrefutable evidence of employee conduct, which can make the difference between having to cut your losses and prevailing against a fraudulent claim.
Surveillance Favors the Good
Video surveillance isn’t just good for your bottom line. It’s good for your employees. The fact is, most employees are honest and hardworking. They’re as unhappy about workplace slackers, bullies and thieves as you are. They just don’t want to be the bad guy or overstep their bounds.
Having surveillance cameras in the right locations can help you make better, more informed decisions and promote a positive working environment for all employees, so they can dish about more interesting things—like the latest office romance.
