Manage work-related crimes by hiring the right people

However, a social skill is the best tool. Human resource managers are grappling with work-related crimes. Of concern is how to manage, reduce and prevent them. The Kenyan law, that is the Penal Code, has provisions on some work-related crimes like theft by employees or theft by directors.

There are provisions related to fraud which may control occupational crime. Civil laws also play a role in controlling occupational crime. For example, having people sign indemnities and guarantees.

However in all these, the line managers and human resource managers have to be street-smart. Most of the work-related criminals are those trusted and perhaps even the most intelligent workers.

Bernard Madoff shocked the entire investment world as he was a reputable financial advisor. Last year, the scandal involving a Ghanaian stockbroker who stole so much money in undetected deals baffled his superiors.

There is very little that legal instruments can do to prevent or control such work-related crimes. Workers know company policies but will still go ahead to commit such crimes.

Each has been born with an intrinsic wisdom that is, common sense that should be able to guide them to judge character. It is a fact that you will be able to discern bad character and inconsistencies within minutes of interacting with someone due to the intrinsic wisdom we all have.

However, it is common when interviews are being done, more focus is given on performance, work experience and little given to character. What happens sometimes is that organizations end up hiring the smartest crooks who end grounding your business to its knees.

Criminology is that branch of law that has various schools of thought to help predict the character of a person. However, some of the schools of thought are completely absurd in my view.

For example, a school of thought and studies done by an Italian prison doctor, Dr. Cesare Lombroso argues that you can identify most potential criminals from their facial features and that the crime would differ according to the facial features in question. Other schools of thought make more sense to me.

When criminology was applied to explain bizarre crimes and behaviour. Crime is connected to the psychological and social make-up of a person and little to do with his or her biological or genetic composition.

A person’s psychology is affected by a number of other factors and no one person has the same psychological pattern as the other.

Perhaps this is why it should be important to start the hiring process with a psychological test and rating the candidates to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and suitability for the position.

Sometimes it may be found that a person with a strong team commitment is the one who will be the most likely for the job.

In some cases, a person who is good with details may be the best for the job and not one with strong team commitment. Most people who commit organisational crimes are usually not that hard to detect, with hindsight you will find that as a recruiter there may be some traits you overlooked.

Social skills are much better to employ than legal skills. However, criminology is that one branch of law that involves social and legal skills and applications.

It has been used widely in many government institutions and in formation of policies, however, it would not harm for line managers and supervisors to read a bit more about criminology.

If nothing else, it will add on to street smartness and is a very interesting subject to read on.

Mputhia is an advocate with Muthoga Gaturu. [email protected]. www.mgadvocates.com