How do you get honest staff?

[MrPlum]

...the majority of the locals are made up of various combinations of sloth, dishonesty, greed, cunning, envy and genuine desire to get the maximum wage for doing bugger all.

I remember British Rail staff would make their own sandwiches at home, then sell them on trains for a hefty mark-up. What sort of tricks do the Thais employ? Might be useful to list a few for any employers who might be reading.

[sand_dancer]

Sorry to hear that Terry.

I was up at the fishery 5 or 6 time between July / August.

Great place to chill, superb fishing and grub.

Hope you get sorted soon. See you in October

[PeteC]

You often see in both Thai and English language newspapers a photo and statement by a company that Mr/Ms XYZ no longer works for company ABC, and ABC is no longer responsible for their actions etc., etc. I assume under Thai law that handles the company's liability concerning misrepresentation.

It also serves to warn the community that this person probably did something wrong and was dismissed, and to be cautious, ask questions and check references before you hire this person.

Perhaps a good idea in your case Terry. Pete

[johnnyk]

...the majority of the locals are made up of various combinations of sloth, dishonesty, greed, cunning, envy and genuine desire to get the maximum wage for doing bugger all.

I remember British Rail staff would make their own sandwiches at home, then sell them on trains for a hefty mark-up. What sort of tricks do the Thais employ? Might be useful to list a few for any employers who might be reading.

Their sarnies were probably better value than the Brit Rail ones!

[MrPlum]

...the majority of the locals are made up of various combinations of sloth, dishonesty, greed, cunning, envy and genuine desire to get the maximum wage for doing bugger all.

I remember British Rail staff would make their own sandwiches at home, then sell them on trains for a hefty mark-up. What sort of tricks do the Thais employ? Might be useful to list a few for any employers who might be reading.

Their sarnies were probably better value than the Brit Rail ones!

Hard to tell as they mastered the technique pretty well. Stale white bread, curling up at the edges. Cheapest block of cheddar. Squishy tomato. The whole lot finished off by dropping it on the floor, then wrapping in plastic. A snip at 3 quid each. That was 20 years ago.

You had to be desperately hungry to eat anything BR offered. The stuff of nightmares.

[migrant]

Part of our training as a CPA (chartered accountants for your side of the pond) is to look for fraud, and help our clients set up checks and balances to make stealing much more difficult.

Separating the paperwork generated from ticket sales from the money handling, numbered receipts, separation of duties, etc.

Of course a dedicated, or two, thief can still do a lot of harm

Sorry to hear about it Terry

[Homer]

What is so politely called 'shrinkage control' is big business in the US. There has to be tons of material available on the various techniques available. No idea if that info is free.

They are also told that ANY thieving,, money, food, property, fish ANYTHING - will result in instant dismissal - no second chances

And yet they still do it - as I said there's nowt as strange as folk

Three things needed for such warnings to be effective: The person has to believe the future exists, that any penalties will outweigh the benefits of stealing, and that the culture considers stealing to be wrong. I've lived in two cultures where those with less took from those with more. They didn't see it as stealing but as taking their rightful share.

[johnnyk]

[/quote]I remember British Rail staff would make their own sandwiches at home, then sell them on trains for a hefty mark-up. What sort of tricks do the Thais employ? Might be useful to list a few for any employers who might be reading.[/quote]
Their sarnies were probably better value than the Brit Rail ones! [/quote]Hard to tell as they mastered the technique pretty well. Stale white bread, curling up at the edges. Cheapest block of cheddar. Squishy tomato. The whole lot finished off by dropping it on the floor, then wrapping in plastic. A snip at 3 quid each. That was 20 years ago.

You had to be desperately hungry to eat anything BR offered. The stuff of nightmares. [/quote]
Was there a surcharge if the white bread had fuzzy green trim around the edges?

[Terry]

Thanks for all the comments / advice and a pm folks.

Needless to say and some further lessons have been learned - and procedures will change

[Khundon1975]

Sorry to hear of your probs Terry we always paid our staff well over the odds, plus gave them money for all sorts of things like fuel, hospital bills etc and never had any problems, that was because we NEVER EVER let them handle any money. Only family members did that.

Those staff still work for the family after more than 12 years but the same rule applies. Nice as the girls are, I would not trust them with our money.

[charlesh]

Yes theft seems to be ingrained into the Thai mentality. Just have a look at Taky shining wat as a leading example. And they are not alone either. I noted in Malaysia it was not uncommon to have the mother (of the owner - usually Chinese) taking in all monies at restaurants where Malays and Indians were employed. I thought that this was a quaint idiosyncrasy but when I asked through my brother in law who was a bank manager the reason given was the same as Terry has experienced.

I expect the hidden camera technique is worth a try also even though it does not lead to behavioural/culture change. It however can mitigate the loss if monitored along with the surreptitious comments to key staff re activities on the premises while you are away.

How did he know that????????

[Terry]

............. Only family members did that. ............

Sorry to say but, in the past, we've had dishonest family members also.

Good points Charlesh, when I worked in K.L. (Twice) office theft by the locals was rife.

[MisterClean]

Employees are the number one cause of loss at a business. Wake up, if you have proof she took 100,000 baht, why not call the police, theft is a crime, no? If it wasnt clear cut steaing and she was a "daughter" then all she did was play her part. No fraternization with the help.

[Terry]

So

Mr. Clean - Have you had shitloadz of experiance in managing Thais then?

Just curious

[sateeb]

Just what I was thinking Terry....Joined 2nd September 2012...10 posts of crap advice.