# Employee Theft- Tools



## Jeff G (Apr 5, 2010)

HammerOn said:


> How do you manage it? Tips on "to catch a thief"? Also what methods do you use to mark your tools.


True story here: I had a good friend that keep getting hand tools stolen from a jobsite many years ago. This was an ongoing problem and he tried various means to deter (don't remember all because its been too long ago), but when he started marking "666" on all his tools that had a tendency to walk off, things suddenly ceased disappearing. 

In all honesty, all we can do when we hire new folks is to do so to the very best of our ability by using any appropriate means to better inform us of integrity and character. There is something to say for how we "perceive" someone at first glance, but we should supplement with background checks and references (nothing like talking to someone who's had work/employment experience with said individual), particularly if these new hires will be having any type of access, by any means, to a client's property/home.


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## Jeff G (Apr 5, 2010)

jaydee said:


> They steal, *GONE*, period.


In my book, something like stealing is: One strike and you're done! 

Zero tolerance whether it's my stuff, or a customer's, or someone off the street!


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## PoleBarnsNY (Jan 18, 2014)

BThomas said:


> Wow Pole - Having a bad day?


No. I am debating the merits and differing levels of experience and gifts of reading people that some clearly possess and many others do not and levels of responsibility due customers with personal belongings at risk versus walk ons at a commercial site with no customer belongings at risk. The differences and levels of responsibility are clear aren't they? 



BThomas said:


> I was comparing my story ( True - not a bar tale)


I didn't mean to suggest your story was bull****. I am saying your bankers is. My apology if that wasn't clear. That story told to you by your braggart banker is 100% unverifiable. It's more fun to believe legends but they are always embellished and self serving and therefore not true and can not be verified and depend on the gullibility of the audience to believe such nonsense. 

Sure it happens. I have bought real estate on a handshake (on price and terms) without a written offer from an old school investor unloading his holdings. We used the same attorney frequently. We called the lawyer and he prepared the documents. 

This investor did this with other buyers and got phucked. Making loans without paperwork and NEVER getting burned? If it was more than about, oh I don't know five dinky loans to wealthy families it's probably bull****. Think about the failure rate of small business and farms and rethink the epic tale.


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## BThomas (Apr 21, 2013)

Pole
I agree that the banking story seems hard to believe and I would probably question you if you told it to me but you don't know the banker and I do. He is very trustworthy and I do believe him and the story was verified by his former secretary who was the one that refereed me to him.

I agree that the customer is important and all our employees should be checked out prior to hiring them. Some bad ones do slip though. 

In all my years in business I only had to fire three employees. Once I gave my truck to two guys to take care of something. I had a roll of quarters in the glove box that was missing when they got back. Nither one would admit to taking the money so they both got fired on the spot. The other time it was a relative of mine that I found out took money off a customers bedroom dresser. He returned it and never worked for me again. Fortunally that customer is still a good customer of mine.
Bill T


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

BThomas said:


> Pole
> I agree that the banking story seems hard to believe and I would probably question you if you told it to me but you don't know the banker and I do. He is very trustworthy and I do believe him and the story was verified by his former secretary who was the one that refereed me to him.
> 
> I agree that the customer is important and all our employees should be checked out prior to hiring them. Some bad ones do slip though.
> ...


So you fired an innocent guy because you didn't have enough evidence to fire the right guy? What a DB move. It is quite possible that the thief took the quarters without the knowledge of the other.


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## PoleBarnsNY (Jan 18, 2014)

Fair point on the banker story. 

I am glad to see we have some agreement that recommending to contractors with less hiring experience, that an insightful conversation is a sufficient hiring process when customer's or company property is at risk and relying on rare people reading gifts many do not possess is foolish and creates liability to customers for lack of due care.

Discussion about how to develop those rare skills and how to implement a better hiring process would be more worthwhile than discussion about rare gifts IMO.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

BThomas said:


> ... If you are small perhaps you could network with another small contractor from time to time when you need help. Other small contractors have the same problems you have...
> Bill T


I do this occasionally, and others here have mentioned it. It's a good solution for temporary help.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Good housekeeping policies go a long way to preventing tool theft. It's much more difficult for someone to grab a tool if tools are kept in their place when they're not being used, than if the place is a mess.

And hire your subs carefully. If you hire some random sub, you have no idea who his laborers are; he may not have any idea who they are. A sub's employee wandering about the job site, or standing in the tool shed looking around, or staring at the homeowner's big screen TV, gets a polite inquiry: "WTF are you doing in here?" and the sub gets called over to answer the question, too.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

PoleBarnsNY said:


> Fair point on the banker story.
> 
> I am glad to see we have some agreement that recommending to contractors with less hiring experience, that an insightful conversation is a sufficient hiring process when customer's or company property is at risk and relying on rare people reading gifts many do not possess is foolish and creates liability to customers for lack of due care.
> 
> Discussion about how to develop those rare skills and how to implement a better hiring process would be more worthwhile than discussion about rare gifts IMO.


Talking to people is not a rare gift. Very difficult to teach it to someone who can not grasp the concept and think it is a rare skill.

Best way I can describe it is just BSing with someone. Amazing what one can find out with very simple conversation. One thing you do not want to do is put someone on the defensive. Keep them at ease.

It's really easy to accomplish and amazing what one can find out.

Not everyone can do it, just like everyone can not be a successful contractor.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

griz said:


> Talking to people is not a rare gift. Very difficult to teach it to someone who can not grasp the concept and think it is a rare skill.
> 
> Best way I can describe it is just BSing with someone. Amazing what one can find out with very simple conversation. One thing you do not want to do is put someone on the defensive. Keep them at ease.
> 
> ...


Assaults on prior bosses, participation in Asian sex tourism, drug dealing history, restraining orders, open arrest warrants - it's amazing the things people have freely told me, all in the spirit of friendly conversation.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

CarpenterSFO said:


> Assaults on prior bosses, participation in Asian sex tourism, drug dealing history, restraining orders, open arrest warrants - it's amazing the things people have freely told me, all in the spirit of friendly conversation.


Pardon my ignorance, but what's "Asian sex tourism"?


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## chewy (May 23, 2010)

Californiadecks said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but what's "Asian sex tourism"?


Hahaha... lady boys.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Mis-post


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## asgoodasdead (Aug 30, 2013)

PoleBarnsNY said:


> Are you serious?
> 
> Thorough hiring process
> 
> Personal and professional references and recommendations, employment history, interview tools, background check, character judgment, experience, instinct, etc


yeah, good luck with that. its hard enough to find a guy around here who knows how to swing a hammer and has a vehicle for less than $25/hour. but we've also never had any issues with theft.


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## asgoodasdead (Aug 30, 2013)

blacktop said:


> Some real genius ripped out the wire in a basement a few months ago on a nice home I was working on . The Sparky said It may of added up to $200... There was $4,000 worth of power tools in the house! He didn't touch them! ......Go figure?


a plumber I know had all of his scrap copper locked in a jobsite box along with a few grand worth of tools. someone cut the lock to steal the copper, but left the tools.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

asgoodasdead said:


> a plumber I know had all of his scrap copper locked in a jobsite box along with a few grand worth of tools. someone cut the lock to steal the copper, but left the tools.


I guess the raw copper leaves no trace. They have a better chance.

My biggest fear is catching a thief stealing tools !!! From me or anyone!!!


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## JWilliams (Nov 11, 2008)

chop there grubby little hands off! POW! Problem solved


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## Reg (Dec 15, 2013)

You can buy a Dremel 120-Volt Industrial Engraver for $25. Blaze orange spray paint is probably $3 a can. It stinks to have to mark your tools but when there are lots of subs and activity, it's a deterrent. Luckily I don't see theft happening so much in my small town because everyone knows each other.


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## chew (Apr 5, 2012)

You can just do what these guys did.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-04-26/news/0104260295_1_geckle-grand-jury-baltimore-county


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## chewy (May 23, 2010)

chew said:


> You can just do what these guys did.
> http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-04-26/news/0104260295_1_geckle-grand-jury-baltimore-county


Ahem.


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