How many business owners/managers think it's difficult to find honest employees?

Question

I have managed a business with an average of 12 employees for ten years. I find it very difficult to get good honest people. It is always something, i.e.... stealing money from the cash register, lying about hours worked, covering up for another dishonest employee, etc.etc. I have always done my best to keep a level head in stressful situations, be friendly and understanding, I try very hard to promote a team atmosphere but there are always those who abuse it. Just today I had a situation where an employee wrote time on her timesheet that wasn't worked. ( I wrote her up and gave her 3 days off with no pay) I feel that I should have fired her probably but it is a situation where I am friends with her mother and told her that if it were anyone else she would have been automatically dismissed. Then another person tried to cover for her which to me is just as dishonest. What can we do to make people understand and care about the company they work for?

dot&carryone, Maybe true sometimes but not true in this situation.

Answer 1

I also run a business with around ten employees. I agree it is hard, but what I do is tell them up front that I expect them to follow the store's policies, including all money and merchandise policies. I let them know that if they get caught stealing money or taking any merchandise without paying for it, they will be gone immediately, and keep my word on it. They know I watch the security tapes. I've had to let people go when I was already short handed, making things a lot worse for myself, but the other employees see that I am serious in what I say. I also tell them that they should report any suspicious behavior to me, or it could look like they are helping the other person steal. I've had several times when employees have informed me of things they have noticed that didn't seem quite right.

For the time sheet issue, we use a computer to clock in and out. If someone forgets to clock in or out, I can watch the tapes to see what time they actually worked. I've never had any problem with this.

I think to make the employees care about the company, they have to feel like they have some say in how things are run. Give them tasks that are important enough to make them feel like they are important, but you can still oversee everything. For my store, I spread out ordering functions to several employees. I also give them a lot of room to do the jobs they are assigned without looking over their shoulder every five minutes to see if it is done yet. I don't ask them to do jobs that I haven't done or won't do if needed. When they see me working right along side them, doing the same things they do, they feel more like they are on a team with me instead of just working for me.

Answer 2

I have had some of the problems you mention but they are very few and far between. First off when someone tells me they have re-occuring instances between multiple individuals my first thing to check is you... Are you certain that the hours were not worked? If I were your boss I would ask why does this keep happening to you and wondering if you were really a good manager. But for the sake of aurgument my other suggestions are:

Read the book "Good to Great" it discuss hiring statergies for companies in great detail and they have really worked for my company and the folks that I have hired over the past few years.

Change your interviewing techniques... Develop new and better questions that will give you a better feel for the employees personality. Spend more time with the employee during the interview process.

Put a mentoring process in place where you are the mentor and take time to train the folks that you are managing.

You as the manager set the tone for the discipline and integrity and work habits of the team you manage. If you give an employee an inch they will take a mile until it is clear to everyone that an inch is allowed not a mile. You can't be everyones friend you have to enforce the rules. The team will develop but first you have to have a team mind set and people that want to be on a team. If you want to change the culture of the group you'll have to do it yourself dont expect the employees to do it.

Answer 3

I think the reality is that almost everyone will lie if telling the truth simply won't do. It doesn't matter if the person believes they are more honest than Abe Lincoln. My boss considers himself very religious and probably more honest than Abe. Yet I catch him lying on the phone to people on a fairly routine basis. Just today he blurted out a whopper that was so far from the truth that is was absurd.

If you think about it, you've probably yourself lied to clients or to suppliers. Did you really plan to pay that bill tomorrow? Then why did you tell them you would? And why did you not pay it tomorrow like you said you would. See, you actually blatantly lied.

Outright stealing by marking up your timecard is definitely dishonest. If that is an ongoing problem, check out www.jobclock.com. It's an electronic timeclock that's harder to fool.

Try buying your employees lunch once a week, or every other week. It may not make the dishonest ones honest, but it will reward the honest ones and help reinforce/reward their honesty.

Answer 4

Pay them more or give them an incentive to do better, give them an opportunity where it isn't "JUST A JOB" where its a fun place to work where they would be happy to come in and be proud of the place they work at. Free food from time to time. If you aren't running a restaurant order a pizza and some soda for them. Benefits are always good too. Are you dealing with teenagers? they pretty much won't respect it as a job they never respect anything really. They are probably only there because their parents made them get a job.. All that is in the teenager's heads these days is just wanting to have fun they have to go to school and deal with problems there and deal with teachers and authority figures there then go home and deal with mom and dad and brothers and sisters more authority. If you could get down on their level somehow, break the barrier between you and them. Show some of the best employees a little more responsibility where they feel more responsible for their fellow employee's actions. I have motivation at my job I just started, my boss took me in under his wing and gave me less stressful jobs where I just deal with the paperwork and it motivated me by a long shot. Now I am in a position where yeah I do have to work on the line at the warehouse then I jump over and wrap pallets then I do the paperwork. The other guys are just standing there on the line and its boring but me I have some responsibilities and it gives me more hours for doing so while the other people are going home I am earning overtime just making copies on the copy machine its easy money. You could do this for your employees and make one or two of them feel good and sort of promote others up too as you see they are doing really well. give some people more hours or if you are dealing with teens give them extra days off when they want a day off let them have it off that there is big motivation for a teen cuz they have so many things they have to do in a given week. They already spend 40 hours at school a week then go home and have to do homework then have to deal with life at home and want to hang out with their friends then they have to go to work and work maybe on the weekend. Give your teen employees a break that is a big one if they request it give it to them they will love you for it.

Answer 5

Managing a business is like managing a family .
If the parents don't express the need to behave honorably on a regular basis , the kids will be crooks .
Business owners should promote ethical & honorable behavior on a daily basis or figure the low life side will come out .

Do you reiterate your expectations for honest conduct on a regular basis ?

Answer 6

Its very difficult one. Actually If we give all the workers an increment of Rs.500/- a month they will be honest upto the next month

Answer 7

It is also difficult to find honest business owners/managers.