You recruited the fraudster

Companies facilitate the means, the mode and the motives.

I dare say it begins with recruitment of these strangers who we invite into our business as a team member. During my lengthy work and business life, I have observed that there are two positions to which I would never aspire.

In hospitals, never to be a Head Nurse, and in business, never to be a Human Resource Practitioner(HR). Yet I have been in both positions, hence I can speak confidently to both.

“People make things happen” HR is the hub for people in organizations starting with the recruiting process. You have to rely on that human being not to knowingly misrepresent the truth about themselves and trying to get a bona fide reference is like the proverbial “pulling of teeth.”

A previous employer has many reasons for not revealing that the fraudster who left their employment is now being recruited by you. Only dates of employment are afforded. “Is suh di system set.” The problem is the concealment of the character of your new recruit. Will the tiger change its stripes?

You can only expect the recruit to live up to the credo of honesty, integrity, responsibility, and proper performance if that person has character and is not duplicitous. But how do you really know. More often than not you are taking a chance.

If the belief is that among the causative factors of internal fraud by employees is how they are treated, and why they find it necessary to exact vengeance against the organization, then the company policy will have to include best practices to ward off corrupt and fraudulent behaviours. Employees must be held accountable for their actions and decisions.

On the other hand, businesses must act transparently when it comes to staff promotions, transfers, rotation, or any actions which will have an impact on the employee’s expectation for renumeration and his/her career path within the organisation.

The deterrence of fraud also rests on the execution of the policy as it pertains to o Fraud, Corruption, Prevention and Control, where one exists, and if there is none, it becomes a matter of urgency to craft and implement one. A policy will not stop a determined fraudster but will be a valuable guide to aid for investigation and to level charges. Of course, fraud as a crime becomes the responsibility of the appropriate branch of law enforcement.

Remember always, you recruited the fraudster.

Stay alert for Part III.

M. Audrey Stewart- Hinchcliffe CD, J.P is Chairman of the Manpower & Maintenance Limited Group.

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