I've seen cases where employees will rationalize theft. Loyalties have broken down. Wilcox adds that a generous stock option policy may be the best insurance. Taking precautions Besides instituting rigorous physical and computer security, Kroll recommends drawing up strict confidentiality and nondisclosure contracts. Here, you usually have a collection of midlevel managers with the key to nearly everything you own, especially if you're in the business of creating intellectual property.
Few companies bond their employees, but many now run background checks.
Christine Beck is a private investigator in Seattle. Her firm, C.D. Beck and Associates, runs felony background checks on many new hires at a major software maker. Feldman recalls a case where someone walked out of a company after encrypting everyone's password. The employee wanted to be paid to return the information and didn't understand that this was extortion. All Rights Reserved.