What can you do if you suspect your employee of theft or fraud?

  • Q and A
  • 4 March 2024
  • Edited 23 April 2024
  • 1 min
  • Managing and growing
  • Staff, Secure business

More than 1 in 7 Dutch entrepreneurs experience theft or fraud, figures from the Hoffmann research institute show. In 75% of cases, employees are the offender. Do you suspect your staff are defrauding you? Here is what you can do.

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Gather evidence

Start looking for evidence. For example, talk to colleagues, watch camera footage, read through business emails, and the company phone records. While doing so, be careful to respect the employee's privacy. Prefer not to investigate yourself? Ask the police for help.

Suspend your employee

If you want to investigate an employee, it may be necessary to suspend them (in Dutch). This means you temporarily ban the employee from performing their work. You must explain why you are doing this. If the suspension is unjustified, it could cause problems. For example, the court may require you to pay damages to your employee.

Give a warning

If your employee makes one small mistake, you can give an official warning. Put this on paper and have the employee sign it. This way, you make it clear that you are taking the situation seriously and you explain what the consequences will be if it happens again.

Dismiss your employee

Do you think it is no longer possible to work with the employee? Then you can dismiss them. Ask a lawyer or attorney for advice on the right approach.

Impose a fine

Does the employment contract have a condition about theft or fraud? Then you can impose a fine or claim damages from your employee. This is called a civil dispute. 

Prevent internal fraud

Reduce the risk of internal fraud with this free online training (in Dutch) from the Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV).

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