If it hasn\u2019t happened to your company, you know a company where it has. Some equipment goes missing, or a break-in makes off with hundreds of dollars\u2019 worth of gear. No matter the size of the landscaping company, the promise of equipment that can be easily offloaded at a pawn shop or sold online makes it a target for theft. The perpetrator might even be on staff. It\u2019s impossible to completely guard against theft, but a company can be a tougher mark if you remember some guidelines.<\/p>\n
\u201cCriminals want the easy way out,\u201d says Lynda Buel, president and CEO of Security Risk Management Consultants in Columbus, Ohio. \u201cIt\u2019s often a crime of opportunity. That\u2019s what you have to think about. If you remove those opportunities, they\u2019re probably going to leave you alone and go down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
A crew\u2019s truck and trailer can be a prime target for theft, and there are several ways to safeguard your investments. One of the first and easiest ways to protect a truck is just to tell your crew to remember to lock it while on-site, even if they\u2019re working nearby, says Buel.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock your vehicle, lock your trailers and don\u2019t leave the keys,\u201d Buel says.<\/p>\n
Even if your crew isn\u2019t far from the truck, working around a property can give plenty of opportunities where the vehicle isn\u2019t in direct sight, she says. Even hand-held power equipment can provide enough noise to mask a potential thief breaking in. A steering wheel lock could also discourage a would-be thief, and GPS tracking has been a popular approach for trucks and trailers, as well as other high-value equipment that might be on the trailer.<\/p>\n
Vehicle locks and locking equipment down in a trailer while out in the field could seem time-consuming on the job, but it seriously reduces the chances for potential theft, says John White, president and CEO of Protection Management LLC of Canton, Ohio.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking five minutes to lock and unlock something, it might be an inconvenience,\u201d White says. \u201cBut you have to decide how much risk you\u2019re willing to accept. How much loss can you handle?\u201d<\/p>\n
An enclosed trailer will do more to protect your equipment than an open flat trailer, but a hitch lock is even more important in preventing someone from hitching the whole trailer up and driving off, White says. Make sure that the company logo is prominently displayed somewhere on the trailer, so if it is stolen, it\u2019s easier for the police to find.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake it stand out like a sore thumb,\u201d White says. \u201cIf something is very unique, it\u2019s going to be easier to spot going down the highway, so it doesn\u2019t just look like another trailer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some manufacturers of large equipment use generic keys for startup, which means a savvy thief could find a common key with some research, she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the suggestions would be to rekey that high-value equipment, so you don\u2019t have to worry about someone buying a key off the internet and stealing it,\u201d says Buel.<\/p>\n
This makes particular sense if some equipment has to be left on-site for the duration of a job, especially if the equipment is in an unprotected, visible area. In that case, Buel says removing the battery before leaving the job site will also help protect equipment.<\/p>\n
Smaller equipment like gas cans, chain saws, trimmers and blowers are a major target, given how easy they are to carry off or conceal and how difficult they can be to identify or track. One of the most basic ways to protect small equipment is just to mark it with the company name, says Buel. That can be as simple as using permanent markers to label equipment with a name and phone number.<\/p>\n
If you want to dig deeper, using an engraving tool to etch the company name and phone number in it would make the information more difficult to remove, Buel says. Make and maintain a log of the serial numbers of your small and large equipment, so you have that information ready if something goes missing. If a piece of equipment doesn\u2019t come with a serial number, develop an in-house numbering system and mark it accordingly. The inventory list should include what date the equipment was purchased, where and how it was purchased, and any warranty information available.<\/p>\n
If small equipment is kept on trailers overnight, try to keep them inside a building protected by an alarm system. If they have to be left outside, park the trailers so that reaching the doors or equipment itself would be challenging, such as backing up to a fence or wall. Small equipment should not be visible to the street overnight, Buel says.<\/p>\n
In the trailer itself, small equipment should be locked down in storage or kept in locked cages, she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat gives it double protection,\u201d says Buel. \u201cIf they break into the back of the truck, they\u2019ve got the storage units or cages to deal with as well. Once again, it just makes it more difficult. A thief wants to be in and out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Protecting your garage and gear starts with a concept called crime prevention through environmental design, or CPTED, says Frank Pisciotta, president and CEO of Business Protection Specialists Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina. That means looking at the garage\u2019s surroundings and reducing the opportunities for a thief to get close unobserved.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn keeping with CPTED, one of the concepts is natural surveillance,\u201d Pisciotta says. \u201cWhat that translates to is avoiding landscaping that\u2019s higher than 18 inches or tree canopies that are lower than 6-7 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trees or shrubs in those ranges can provide cover for a potential thief to move while staying out of sight. Also, consider the size and shape of plants throughout the annual lifecycle. As they grow and change through the year, they could impact lighting or interfere with video surveillance, Piscotta says, though plants can work as a natural barrier if you use thorny varieties.<\/p>\n
Thought it might feel counterintuitive at first, a privacy fence isn\u2019t the right choice for your company garage, says Buel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually gives the criminal the opportunity to hide right there as they\u2019re doing their thing,\u201d she says. \u201cWe always recommend that you use fencing that you can see through.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important to avoid fencing that\u2019s easily scaled. Using some kind of security wire at the top or decorative spikes can be an added deterrent, she says.<\/p>\n
Security lights, which can be motion-activated, and an alarm can be other tools that don\u2019t take a huge investment but make the garage a more difficult target, says White.<\/p>\n
One major development in security monitoring has been the introduction of smart systems that can feed information and video immediately to a cloud-connected device, she says. While a small business owner used to have to rely on third-party monitoring companies, the internet and wireless capabilities provide more control and quick feedback.<\/p>\n
Know who has access to your garage, and how many keys are in use, says White. Consider changing the locks on a regular basis every few years, especially if your company has a high turnover. Even if you received a key back from a past employee, that doesn\u2019t mean a copy wasn\u2019t made. Electronic locks can make it easier to determine which employees have access to the shop, and some systems allow restrictions to only regular work hours.<\/p>\n
Protecting your business from internal theft starts with accountability, says White. The crew supervisor needs to be able to track every piece of equipment assigned to the crew for the day. Make sure the employee manual covers the procedures for handling lost or damaged equipment.<\/p>\n
It might feel unnecessary for seasonal workers, but a background check is often helpful in finding more trustworthy employees, Buel says. Even if you have a large amount of turnover, \u201cit\u2019s prudent for all companies to have some sort of a process in place to conduct an appropriate background check, including criminal history.\u201d She also highly recommends a drug screening system, especially if your crews are operating large equipment.<\/p>\n
Build a reporting system that makes it easy for a crew member to anonymously let a manager know if something unsafe or suspicious is happening, she says.<\/p>\n
Use checklists that need to be verified by managers in the morning before heading to the job site and when the crews return to the garage, says White. An electronic checklist makes sense for a larger business, but a physical checklist might be easier for smaller operations.<\/p>\n
But the employee who might be most vulnerable to stealing from the company might be the one you least expect, says Buel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s always your most valued and trusted employee that steals from you,\u201d she says. \u201cThe reason is because you trust them to the point that you allow audits to fall short.\u201d Often, because you do trust those employees, you don\u2019t put checks and balances in place to validate or verify reports from them.<\/p>\n
Working with other family members in the business can be especially challenging because it can be difficult to hold them to the same accountability standards as other employees, says White.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven family will steal from family,\u201d White says. \u201cYou have to have accountability. Understand that it\u2019s your business, your livelihood.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pandemic like COVID-19 can put additional stress on employees, sometimes in ways that are tough to immediately see, says Lynda Buel, president and CEO of Security Risk Management Consultants in Columbus, Ohio. You might be maintaining your crews and providing payroll during the crisis, but it\u2019s possible that a family member lost a job or has heavy medical bills that need to be covered. Those situations can give employees a reason to make bad decisions about stealing from work.<\/p>\n
In this case, Buel says the strategy for protecting your assets is the same as protecting the health and well-being of your employees: building good communication.<\/p>\n
Look for sudden changes in behavior or attitude from an employee as warning signs, says John White, president and CEO of Protection Management LLC of Canton, Ohio. It might make sense to talk to the employee to show empathy in a tough situation and see if there\u2019s a solution that works for both parties.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, employees might not want to talk through the issues because they\u2019re embarrassed to need help with a situation, says White. That\u2019s an opportunity for the employer to take the first step during a difficult event.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople\u2019s prides are at play in this because they\u2019re desperate,\u201d says White. \u201cThat\u2019s where employers can step up and say, \u2018We\u2019re going to see if we can find supplies, or give out a list of places that are having food pickups. You\u2019re building that loyalty and showing your employees you care.\u201d<\/p>\n
If your company has an employee assistance program, it might be a good time to remind them of those benefits and how to access them, she says. It might also be useful to gather information on social and financial services that could help an employee in a tough position.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think most importantly, just letting the employees know that if you\u2019re having trouble, we want to hear from you and we want to help you the best we can,\u201d Buel says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Prevent theft by securing equipment and establishing crew accountability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3401,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[25],"class_list":["post-3399","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-business"],"yoast_head":"\n