Accountant seeks advice from Chesterfield Polygraph Examiner
We’ve had several enquiries in recent weeks relating to suspicions about the loyalty of employees. Our Chesterfield polygraph examiner answered this one from an accountant.
Q: Will a lie detector test in Chesterfield help me find out if my office manager is moonlighting?
I have a small accountancy firm and my office manager has been with me for over 5 years. The other day I had lunch with one of my clients. He asked me if I knew that my office manager had set up her own website and gave me the url. I asked if he was sure and he said he was. Apparently a business associate of his had contacted the website about bookkeeping services and received a reply from someone with the same name as my office manager. Her name is very unusual.
When I got back to the office I checked out the website but a WHOIS search didn’t reveal any information other than the hosting company. The website owner has chosen to keep their data private. I have also called the Freephone number on the website at various times of the day and night. It’s never answered and after a few rings you are invited to leave a message. I did that 3 days ago and so far no one has called me back.
My office manager has recently gone through a messy divorce and I know she is financially struggling. Naturally I’ve asked her if the website is hers but she emphatically denies it.
The truth is that I would have no problem with her taking on extra work, provided it doesn’t affect her work with me. But I won’t have her doing it at my expense and worse, lying to me about it.
Could your lie detector test in Chesterfield service help me get to the bottom of it?
A. P., Chesterfield
Response from Chesterfield Polygraph Examiner
If you are able to get your office manager to agree to take a lie detector test, it will lead you to the truth. However, you can’t force her to take one. Since she is denying the website belongs to her it may be difficult to persuade her to take a test.
Some of our clients include a polygraph test clause in their employment contacts. This allows them to enact periodic lie detector tests when situations of mistrust occur. If you make this a new policy of your firm you can send out a memo to all staff informing them of the change. Ask them to confirm their agreement by signing and returning the memo to you.
The difficulty you have, without any form of agreement from your staff to take tests, is that you can’t fire someone on the basis of a suspicion.
Set her up
Initially I suggest you get a trusted friend to phone or make contact via this website and make an appointment to discuss their ‘bookkeeping’ requirements. You have said that no one is answering the telephone so that’s not a great way to run a business. If your office manager is the owner, she will lose more business than she gains if the business phone is not answered. If this suggestion fails, please call us on our free helpline (07572 748364). Our customer service team will give you some tips as to how you can persuade her to take a test. Any contact you make with us will be treated with the strictest confidence. Please mention that you have been advised by the Chesterfield polygraph examiner to call.
