Afternoon All
Hope you are all settled back into work after Christmas and New year.
Just had a situation come up and wondered how other companies operate. We let book clubs come in and leave their books in the canteen for staff to look at and should they wish to buy at a discounted rate.
One of them has just come in and advised us that 3 items are no longer there. One is a Mr Men box set so not small so someone has either taken it by mistake or someone within the organisation has stolen them.
Apart from sending an email round to all staff, how else can I monitor this or prevent from happening again. I actually find it quite upsetting that there is potentially someone in the business that would do this and I am hoping it comes down to a mistake!
Rachel
Replies
Thankfully as it turns out, one of the girls on production had taken them as there was a note saying if you need before Christmas please take the samples, which was no longer there and she didn't want to leave the money about. Also came up that the guy turned up day early as well!
Have just advised everyone now if they do this to leave a note in the envelope and tell me!
Phew!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
We had a similar situation last year, in that the book club guy dropped off the selection of books that had been ordered, yet when one of the staff went to pick up her book it was missing - although it had been seen earlier in the day. Email to all staff turned up nothing, so I was in the same disappointed and upset frame of mind, that it had happened. A few days later, one of the staff returned to work and handed the book over to me - they had seen the book left on the kitchen table and were worried about it getting damaged/dirty so had moved it onto a shelf for safekeeping!
Hope your situation resolves itself in an equally easy way. I know it was a horrible feeling during the time that we had to consider it may have been stolen.
I did consider how to deal with more control over the system, as it was/still is open to abuse in this way. Ours is very much a trust basis, whereby the sample books are left on the kitchen table, along with an envelope for ordering and payment placed inside. This has worked for many years now (aside from the glitch above!) so I don't feel I need to change it. I was considering however, asking the reception staff to act as the money collection and book distribution focus point. I am sure I would use that route if ever there were a concern raised in the future.
Best wishes
Steve
Hi Rachel,
In my opinion, if it was a mistake than the item should come back - this is what I would consider normal. If someone really stolen it than it might happen again - who steals once will steals again. If you want to check the situation you can create intentionally a similar situation just to observe what is going to happen and to find out if the person is someone in the business and then to think of another step of action.
Sorina
Thanks Sorina, I am hoping its a mistake and the goods or the money reappear soon!