Trust But Verify Employee Background Checks
Courtesy of the Coin Laundry News
Employee theft and graft.
There are a variety of ways laundry owners can keep accurate Fluff & Fold business records. Accurate records are essential, first to be sure customers get back the same clothes they bring in and next, for cash security purposes.
Bad record keeping could create dishonest employes. Dishonest employees can be the bane of any laundry owners existence.
Sequentially numbered invoices are the heart of a good system. Usually referred to as tickets, they are available at dry cleaning or laundry supply houses. These businesses are perhaps the best source for other types of wash and fold supplies, such as bags, paper and tape.
Always purchase those with at least three copies (original and 2 carbons).
When a laundry order is brought in, it’s weighed, and the last copy is given to the customer as a receipt. The next copy is spindled after the number and details of the order are recorded in a master book for fluff & fold.
These details are date, weight, charge and amount of coins used to wash and dry the order. The name of the person doing the order should be included as well. When the order is picked up and paid for, the pick up date is then recorded.
The first copy of the ticket remains with the laundry bundle until it is claimed by your customer.
To verify that all of the customer cash is being reported, an operator can first check the un-expended tickets to make sure none are missing.
Next, check the master book to see that each entry in the book is entered with a ticket number, along with the required information.
Then one can check the remaining bundles to be sure they are fully entered in the book, and that none are missing. When one is satisfied that all of the entries match the tickets, then the only thing to look for is erasures.
Speaking of books, most operators use some variety of tablet that is bound in a wire. At the first use, every page is numbered at the top in a consecutive order. That way if a page is torn out, it should be noticeable.
Remember, good record keeping keeps employees honest.
The whole system requires the use of a good scale. One that is accurate and easy to use. Some states require that these scales be certified, and there may be an annual fee charged for that certification.
It will not take long for an interested laundry owner to see a relationship between the weight of the order and the number of quarters it takes the attendant to finish it. Just another way to keep employees honest.
One of the most horrific kinds of crimes in a laundry business is that perpetrated by the few dishonest employees who manage to slip by the owner in the hiring process. While most of us wouldn’t classify these as criminal types, that is exactly what they are.
A classic example is the sneaky one who manages somehow to grab onto a collection key. Even when there is a good security camera system they can skim a coin vault while cleaning machines, looking like they are just doing their job.
Unless the owner is examining camera tapes in a semi serious way, that kind of crime is hard to spot. The surest prevention is to keep absolute control of collection keys. Another way is to salt the coin box with marked coins. Put them in the vault when no one is around to observe what is being done. If a few coins go missing, you know something is wrong. That’s the time to look at security tapes very carefully.
Classic Cases of theft
One of the worst examples is the case of the “loyal and trusted employee” who worked the same shift for ten years. She was sidelined by an off site accident and in her absence the laundry’s business volume went up nearly twenty percent. She was replaced by a new employee who was carefully and fully vetted in the hiring process.
The owner replaced all of his locks and keys. Although he will remain disappointed with her, he is much happier overall with the sudden increase in profit.
Most laundries with attendants have them there to do Fluff & Fold services. Don’t ever let your attendants become careless about how income for each bundle they do gets recorded on laundry books. For security’s sake, entries made to place customer orders on your books must be done consistently, the same way every time it’s done. Make sure that receipts are consecutively numbered and make sure that every number is properly accounted for. Your employees can’t cook the books when they know those books are inspected regularly.
Be very suspicious of the attendant who is always making mistakes on the paperwork because they may be doing that to cover up theft. Look for erasures and cross outs too. When they know the owner is always checking and inspecting the paperwork, attendants are far less likely to try to take advantage of the business.
Be especially careful of the worker who is always a little short and asking for an advance against pay. When someone is always a bit short of cash, they may be looking to the laundry’s cash register or customer bundle for an unauthorized cash advance.
About the only way a laundry operator can be certain of an employee’s honesty is to remain on alert and check and recheck the laundry’s paperwork. If they have security cameras, carefully and regularly examine the security tapes to observe any of their activities that may be questionable.
He who trusts but verifies make the best respected kind of boss.
Date:-12/07/2011
By:-Laundrywizard@aol.com
