Until recently, a business could expect to see, and know about, most of what was happening in the office. Communications with suppliers and customers were traditionally by letter allowing ready monitoring by partners or managers with time to review and consider everything that was leaving the building. However, the replacement of hard copy with telephone and email and rapidly increasing time pressures mean that employees are trusted with far more; the opportunity therefore arises for a disgruntled employee to cause damage and for this not to become apparent to the employer until a late stage.

Further, employees invariably have access to the firm's computer systems and have the power to cause real and widespread damage to a business in ways and to an extent that simply were not possible 10 years ago.

It is essential therefore that employers consider this potential. However benevolent the employer and however responsible the employee there will always be either fallings-out or dismissals even if for operational reasons. Employee sabotage cannot therefore be ignored. The question is how best to deal with this potential.

Jeff@marketmagic.com