The American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice recently released the results of a survey completed last year on embezzlement.
One of the questions on the survey addressed the question of behaviors exhibited by embezzlers. The answers were enlightening.
The pie graph below highlights the most commonly observed behaviors (please note that, due to multiple responses, the total exceeds 100%).As you can see, possessiveness about the embezzler’s duties and a reluctance to cross-train other team members was the single biggest factor, given by almost 50% of respondents. Closely related was territoriality about the embezzler’s workspace, with over 25% of respondents reporting that behavior.
Defensive when questioned about financial matters, complaints from other staff about the affected employee, or observed bullying on the part of the thief, we also observed by many victims.
Employee behavior is still one of the key elements in detecting embezzlement. Our Embezzlement Risk Self Assessment Questionnaire has been taken by thousands of dentists and provides a good barometer for employee behavior.
You can read more about the ADA survey HERE.