Memoirs of a Magman

Some small business operators may feel they have to put up with corruption and theft because they can’t afford to hire a private investigator with knowledge in dealing with such problems.

Here’s my advice as an investigator: First, list the problems you have encountered in your business. List them in order of priority: Place the most serious one, which I feel should be theft, at the top, and then concentrate on the most pressing one.

If you hire a capable investigator to solve the theft problem and he catches the culprit, once you rid yourself of said culprit, you may find that some of the lesser problems are greatly reduced.

Keep in mind that theft in the workplace causes other situations among employees that place a great deal of stress on them. And stressed workers are not fully productive workers. Once you rid yourself of problems such as theft in the workplace, you may soon notice a better working atmosphere and that other employees’ performance has greatly improved.

If you believe that you need to hire a private investigator, be sure to get all the details about the investigator’s costs ironed out once you have explained the nature of your problem. If he or she mentions an hourly rate, request a total cost for the investigation instead of an hourly rate, which could run into a good deal of money.

Before the investigator begins, ask for a few references, including a few cases he worked on and personally check the references. Make a phone call, ask questions, and see if other clients were satisfied with the work before giving him the go-ahead.

It’s important to find a private investigator in whom you have confidence and whose advice you can rely on. One may think a theft case is simple to deal with. In fact, some are not, especially theft in the workplace.

When a shoplifter is caught stealing, you can have the person charged or just thrown out of the store. But when a theft involves an employee, it’s an entirely different ball game.

If you’re in management and take your personal problems to work each morning, you are looking for trouble. Most employees don’t fancy having to deal with a grouchy boss, which in itself can cause some employees to be less productive.

Contented employees tend to be productive employees. Effective management creates motivation; less experienced and skillful supervisors and managers are basic de-motivators.

There are people who are self-motivated and begin their work each morning with a positive attitude, while others need to be motivated. Good communication, between management and employees is a must; if that isn’t achieved, there will always be some sort of friction between the two.

To achieve one’s goal, one must break down these barriers, and that means eliminating corruption and stress in the workplace.

As for learning new problem-solving skills and techniques, one must first acknowledge the importance of developing these new skills and techniques. Then and only then will someone acquire sufficient knowledge to deal with the growing situations they may confront in the workplace.

Personally, I would begin by taking inventory of my present skills and how I’ve been applying these skills to correct and reduce problems. Situations differ from one another; as a leader, one need to be able to cope with different situations effectively.

At the age of 36, with two years of operating my own business under my belt, one night after a few drinks at the bar, I was rushed to the hospital with internal bleeding. Sitting at the bar, I felt as if I was going to vomit, so I went into the washroom, but the only thing that came up was blood.

Prior to my release from the hospital, the doctor asked if I drank much. I answered, “No, not really,” which was a lie. He then showed me the X-rays they had taken of my liver and said that my liver was damaged. It resembled a sponge with holes in it. The doctor said it was caused by excessive drinking, known as cirrhosis of the liver.

If I continued drinking, I may not live to see my 40th birthday. Hearing that was a bit scary. The doctor put me on a strict diet. Among other things, I wasn’t to consume any alcohol or coffee, and I was to return in a few months for another check-up.

For a period of two years, I didn’t consume any alcohol, but once in a while, I did have a coffee. Then one day after an exam, the doctor said to me, “Mr. Hudon, I have good news for you; your liver has cleared up nicely, and there will be no need for additional regular check-ups.”

In that two-year period, I had no problem refraining from indulging in alcohol, but coffee was a different story. Each morning, the first thing I thought of was stopping at the coffee shop; so that was a hard habit to break.

One might think that, being a drinker, alcohol would be what I had a problem giving up, but no - it was Tim’s coffee. It seemed that i was addicted to it.

After leaving the hospital that morning, the first thing I did was stop at the nearest Tim’s and have myself an extra large cup. It felt good to have a coffee and not have to worry about the consequences.

As for alcohol, I began indulging a bit a month or so after the doctor released me. In the beginning, I would have one or two shots of rye, but as time went on, I figured if I ate some solid food, like a steak, before having some drinks, that would help. In time, I would learn that I was wrong.

Teaching children includes setting good examples for them to learn and live by. I witnessed one of the most troubling encounters involving children one day while I was employed at a store.

A woman came in, followed by three young children. She carried nothing but her purse; one of the children had a large shopping bag, and as the woman went from counter to counter looking at different merchandise, I noticed the woman glancing around as if to check if anyone was watching her. And I became suspicious.

At one counter, I noticed her placing a bra at the edge of the counter. Just as she was about to walk away, the young child who had the shopping bag reached up, grabbed the bra, and dropped it into the bag. Then they moved to another counter, and the same procedure was used to steal another item of clothing.

When teens are caught stealing or have problems concerning the law, we often hear parents say, “I don’t know why they went wrong; I did my best with them.” Is that what this woman will say one day, after one or all of them end up behind bars?

As parents, we don’t always realize it, but the fact is that most of us teach our children something about stealing at a very young age. Young children are always learning, and a good part of their learning comes from examples from their parents. Seeing their parents do things, children get the impression that it’s okay.

This is an obvious example of teaching by doing, but next time you’re in the grocery store and pick up a piece of fruit to munch on while you shop, think about what you are unintentionally teaching your child.

Often when workers conjure up ways to rip off an employer, their scheme is so simple that an employer just wouldn’t think of it.

Once while having coffee at Tom Horton’s, I happened to be seated near the service counter. I was admiring a beautiful young woman who was being served, and I noticed one of the workers move the money the young woman had placed on the counter over among the tips. Sensing that it wasn’t right, I continued to observe every time that worker served a customer. Within an estimated 10 minute period, she served roughly one dozen customers. A few times, I saw her move money that was placed on the counter over among the tips.

I later nicknamed places like Tim Horton’s “little gold mines” because of the amount of money raked in each day - not into the business, but into the employees’ pockets.

The problems I found in coffee shops and convenience stores are often similar. The difference is that dishonest employees in convenience stores have a bigger variety of items to choose from.

For small business owners and operators, theft in the workplace has drastically increased in the past few years. This is even though employees at many places of business now are not permitted to have pockets in their work uniforms. Deceitful employees find other ways to steal, like the coffee house counter sweep.

Understandably, theft in the workplace can create a great deal of stress and dissatisfaction among employees. However, the manner in which employees are treated by their employers also contributes stressful situations they must endure while trying to carry out their duties.

Most honest workers are aware of who is stealing but say nothing about it. As one worker put it, “Why should I get involved? If others want to steal, let them steal. As long as I do my work and get my pay, I don’t care.”

Before purchasing a certain brand of video surveillance system, for example, a camera or video recorder,I recommend checking with someone knowledgeable. Ask them to recommend the type you should use based on the reasons you’re using it.

And once you have a surveillance camera installed, be sure to have them inspected annually, making sure that they are in good working order. If you don’t and something happens, you might need the video recordings as evidence and the only thing you’ll see is blurred images.

This is a mistake that I have found over the years that many people make: They don’t have their video cameras serviced. Matter of fact, some don’t even bother to clean the camera lens. And once they’re covered with dust and grime, the end result is unclear video images. To avoid this, I recommend that you have your system serviced by a qualified person.

During my experience working private security, I have dealt with many troublesome issues. The one that mostly stands out in my mind is in regard to people employed in 24/7 convenience stores where there’s only one employee working alone in the wee hours of the morning.

I strongly feel that this should not be permitted, and a law should be enacted by the USA and Canadian law-makers forbidding such convenience store owners from having only one employee on duty during late-night hours.

At the present I truly feel that the most dangerous type of work involves people who are employed at these 24/7 convenience stores, and especially when there’s only one worker. Again I stress that this should not be permitted.

How many instances of these night workers killed while working alone could be prevented by the presence of another employee? Is the saved cost of another employee really worth a life?

keneerike:

In Part 1, we covered some of the strategies to backup and recover your computer files.

Now, let’s discuss how you can prevent data theft in the future.

Tip 3: Intelligent Computer Use

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Because of the huge rip off in the States and Canada, involving shrewd people who entice friends to let them invest some of their money, into a quick scheme to get rich, if you’re approached to invest your hard earned money, it’s recommended that you grab your wallet or purse and take off running, and don’t waste time looking back, because your money seeking friend may catch up to you.