Pub Manager fails a Lie Detector Test in Liverpool
Our brewery clients included a polygraph clause in their employment contracts two years ago. They haven’t used it often but recently felt the necessity to order a lie detector test in Liverpool for one of their managers. Names and location have been changed for client privacy.
Brewery case
Jane had been the manager of the Flying Horse for five years and the pub had always done quite well. It was a sports bar and the only one in the town she’d grown up in. The pub had changed hands quite a few times before she’d managed to get the job and the Brewery thought she was the ideal choice. Jane had been in the town since she was born, she had plenty of friends that drank in the pub and a very respectable family.
Unexpected drop in profits
For the first three years Jane ran the Flying Horse it had done really well. Much better than the brewery had expected, given the previous managers had pretty much run it into the ground. Jane had managed to pick the business up and restore it to profit. She always had great ideas for promotions and event nights and these were always a raging success. It wasn’t until she was asked to provide the takings for the fourth year that the brewery felt uneasy. The profits were down and although it had been a rough year for most people it didn’t explain the dramatic drop of 30%. Jane had no explanation and they asked for a complete and extraordinary stocktake. It wasn’t just money that was missing, the orders she’d been putting in didn’t reflect her drop in profits.
Lie detector test in Liverpool
The brewery had written a periodic lie detector test clause into their employment contracts. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust their staff but they’d had many unexplained thefts from different establishments. They’d rarely used this clause but chose to do so in Jane’s case and booked a lie detector test in Liverpool for her. Having signed her employment contract Jane knew she had no choice but to take it.
The results were to be sent directly to the brewery and Jane was told she would be contacted when they arrived. She was expecting a phone call but a few days later the area manager arrived to discuss the details. She’d failed her test and when confronted with the evidence she was asked where the money had gone and how she’d managed to embezzle it.
Disciplinary action
Jane broke down and claimed she’d had financial difficulties and needed to pay some debts. She’d stolen money from the takings each week to pay her credit cards and hadn’t put sales through the till. The area manager liked Jane and sympathised with her but had no choice than to ask her to leave with a month’s notice. He hadn’t needed to do this since the results from the lie detector test in Liverpool could have seen her fired on the spot for gross misconduct.
Employment polygraph services
The brewery now uses lie detector tests in their pre-employment screening process for managers. Since implementing the tests their losses have diminished dramatically and invariably there are reasonable explanations for them.
If you are experiencing losses in your business and suspect an employee of dishonesty, please contact us. Polygraph services are a discreet way of dealing with theft in the workplace.
