Is theft an issue in your warehouse? It is for many warehouses across the United States. It isn’t organized crime or local heists that are the main contributor to the theft issue, either; employee theft is actually the most common. It’s estimated that cargo theft costs U.S. businesses more than $30 billion each year. That’s a lot of product walking out your warehouse door. It’s costing your business money and eroding the trust that you have in your team. It’s bad for the reputation of your company, bad for employee morale, and bad for your bottom line. If theft has become a problem in your warehouse, you need to take steps to stop it.
There are a number of simple things you can do in order to prevent theft in your warehouse. Our warehouse consultants offer these suggestions.
Tips for Reducing Warehouse Theft
Do your due diligence.
You can prevent a lot of theft before it happens by doing your due diligence during the hiring process. While it’s good to trust your gut when it comes to dealing with people, it’s even better to do a background check and actually check their references. Find out why they left their last job and be very wary of hiring anyone with previous theft or embezzlement issues on their record.
Limit access.
Most workers aren’t going to need access to the entire warehouse all the time. Be suspicious of workers who are wondering into other areas that aren’t necessary for their job. You should also be suspicious of workers who show up early or stay late when they haven’t been asked to do so. Limiting their access to only the areas that are imperative to their job can prevent collusion between areas and prevent them from stashing items to grab later.
Implement cyclical counting.
Keeping an eye on inventory is imperative if you want to prevent theft. That means doing physical counting once a year just isn’t enough. Instead, implement cyclical counting. You can keep the schedule private so employees don’t know what areas are going to be counted until it’s happening. This can keep potential thieves unsure about the best time to grab something and make them less likely to take the chance.
Set up cameras.
It used to be that setting up a camera security system in a warehouse was so expensive it was cost prohibitive. That’s not the case anymore. Now you can get Internet-connected cameras that can be set up and running in a matter of minutes. You can view these cameras anywhere, too, so you can even check up on the warehouse from your smartphone when you are at home or on vacation. Most thieves aren’t going to be brazen enough to take something when the cameras are in action.
Lock up inventory.
Create secure storage for high-theft items. These might be items with a high resale value or simply a popular high-ticket item. There are numerous ways to add secured storage to your warehouse, whether you choose steel cages or locking cabinets. This will help limit access to these items and make it much, much harder to pick up and walk out the door with them. Plus, when these items are locked up, you’ll know exactly who had access to them.
Is your warehouse being plagued by theft? Our warehouse consultants can help you find solutions to help prevent loss. Simply give the DAK Equipment & Engineering team a call or contact us through our website. We’ll help you find solutions to all of your warehouse issues, whether you are worried about theft, need a new warehouse layout, or just need to order some new warehouse equipment. Get in touch with us today to get started!
