Are commodities mysteriously disappearing from your retail store’s shelves despite installing advanced CCTV cameras? Did a recent audit report suggest that your accounts and procurement departments could be manipulating the books?
If you answered yes and have already developed serious suspicions about certain employees, it’s about time you subjected them to a polygraph test.
Workplace polygraph tests aren’t only designed as a pre-employment tool. You could also administer these exams to investigate employee theft and other misconduct.
In fact, integrating polygraph evaluations into your company’s operations can serve as an effective deterrence against unethical practices.
Read on to find out how.
Justifications for Using Polygraphs to Investigate Workplace Theft
According to certified fraud examiners, over 95% of businesses in the United States report having been victims of employee theft.
Further surveys on workplace theft have found that a whopping 75% of employees admit to stealing from their places of work at least once. These incidents can range from seemingly trivial ones like stealing a hand-wash bar soap, to more devastating ones like major financial fraud.
Subjecting the suspects to a polygraph test may help expedite the investigation process and manage untoward behaviors at the workplace.
Types of Workplace Polygraph Tests
There are three major polygraph exams that may be administered at the workplace. They include:
(i) Pre-Employment Exam
(ii) Specific Loss Exam
(iii) Periodic Lie Detector Tests
Pre-employment polygraph tests are typically integrated into recruiting processes, enabling organizations to verify job seekers’ credentials.
Meanwhile, periodic lie detector tests are administered to employees in the course of their official duties. They’re usually designed to test employees’ loyalty to their organizations and continually reevaluate their value systems.
Lastly, specific loss exams are an employee polygraph testing focused on investigating single workplace incidents like theft. They’re ideal where reasonable involvement is imposed on the test subject.
Role of Polygraphs in Investigating Workplace Theft
Most workplace thefts leave behind prime suspects. Where several employees are reasonably believed to be involved in a crime, the individuals may be subjected to polygraph tests to narrow down the suspect list.
A professional examiner will administer similar questions to the pool of suspects and carefully record their responses. The questions may be classified into three distinct categories, including;
Relevant Questions
Relevant questions are related to the matter under investigation. A polygrapher may pose a direct question like “Did you steal $1,000 from the manager’s office?”
Control Questions
Control questions delve into a subject’s past conduct that is somewhat relevant to the matter under investigation, and which may be used to incriminate them. They’re meant to evoke more dramatic responses than relevant questions.
Irrelevant Questions
Irrelevant questions are unrelated to the subject matter. They’re typically designed to help the test subject relax before the next round of questions.
After polygraphing all suspects, their responses are individually analyzed to assess each employee’s potential involvement in the crime. Deception is inferred if a subject responds more dramatically to relevant than control questions.
Using Polygraph Results For Exonerative and Deterrence Purposes
Scheduling a polygraph test in the aftermath of a workplace theft not only helps nab the actual perpetrators. It’s also a critical process in confirming innocence for those wrongfully accused of a crime. The tests are particularly important where every circumstantial evidence points to the accused.
Besides, you may integrate polygraphs into your company’s culture as a deterrence against workplace impropriety. Dishonest employees will be dissuaded from committing theft or fraud if they know that subsequent investigations require them to undergo polygraph tests. It’s an ingenious way to cultivate honesty and integrity at the workplace.
Exercising Caution in Actioning Polygraph Test Results
Findings from polygraph tests should never be used in isolation. Instead, the results must be compared against other pieces of evidence to reach a conclusive verdict.
Besides, all suspects must be given a fair hearing before taking further action. Afford them an opportunity to explain their responses before confronting them with the findings.
Moreover, remember that polygraphs can be beaten. Enlisting the services of professionally trained and duly licensed polygraphers is key in administering credible polygraph exams.
Case Study on the Use of Polygraphs in Solving Workplace Theft
After registering a continued decrease in the stock levels for a particular brand of luxury watches, a store in Sydney, Australia, opted to subject its employees to polygraph tests.
The tests uncovered signs of deception on a particular employee, who had previously denied any involvement in the theft.
However, the suspect eventually admitted to stealing the luxury watches when confronted with the polygraph results, underscoring the efficacy of polygraphs in solving workplace theft.
Legal Considerations
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) prohibits most private organizations from polygraphing their employees, either during pre-employment screening or in the course of their duties.
Besides, individual states impose more restrictive polygraph laws.
To conduct a legally admissible polygraph exam, employers must obtain unequivocal consent from the would-be examinees.
Managing Workplace Impropriety with Polygraph Tests
Polygraphing employees has become a common practice while investigating theft and other forms of unethical behavior.
Findings from polygraph tests can help you solve various crimes in the office, from small pilferages to business-crippling frauds. You may also rely on these evaluations to exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully blamed for a crime.
Moreover, polygraphs can provide a solid deterrence against workplace impropriety. Errant employees will think twice before engaging in unbecoming behaviors when they know they’ll later be subjected to polygraph tests.
