New York's Assembly and Senate are pushing a bill to amend the Labor Law, requiring public employers to tackle 'abusive conduct and bullying' in their workplace violence prevention policies. The bill demands expanded risk evaluations, enhanced reporting systems, and broader training requirements, but hilariously forgets to define what 'abusive conduct and bullying' actually mean. This could lead to some compliance challenges and potential legal disputes.[NatLawReview]
Self-serve commerce has evolved dramatically since CheckRobot introduced the first self-checkout station in 1986. Initially seen as a supplement to cashier lanes, self-checkout is now everywhere, from grocery stores to airports. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its adoption, with a 20% rise in usage and predictions of doubling by 2030. Younger consumers, especially Gen Z, are driving this trend, favoring speed, shorter lines, and privacy. With AI and IoT, self-service kiosks are becoming smarter, enhancing customer experience and business efficiency.
Even though Nashville's currently freezing, Tennessee employers should start thinking about summer heat and its impact on workers. OSHA's proposed rule on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention suggests monitoring, training, and reporting when temperatures hit 80°F. Employers would need to provide water, rest breaks, and shaded areas, with extra measures at 90°F. Get ready to keep your team cool and safe!
A new report from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) has linked major brands like Amazon, Giorgio Armani, and Harrods to allegations of migrant worker abuse. Out of 665 cases recorded in 2024, 74 involved migrant workers in the consumer products and retail sector, with 24 specifically tied to fashion supply chains.
If Montana businesses intentionally hire illegal immigrants, they could face major consequences under a new proposal in the state legislature. House Bill 536 would scrap the licenses for those who violate the law, provide the Montana attorney general and county attorneys with funds to make sure the bill is followed and allow people negatively impacted by the hiring of illegal immigrants to sue.
I was in a business meeting once where I was asked, “How honest are you on a scale of 1 to 10?” The individual asking the question decided to put everyone in the meeting on the spot by going around the room receiving everyone’s self-rating. As he glanced around the room for everyone’s answer, each person gave a resounding “10” reply. His crystal stare came to me and I simply shrugged and said, “I guess more around an 8.” He was shocked at my rating. I explained that of course everyone lies a little, every day offering an example of if someone asks you if they “look fat” or offers the question, “do you like my new haircut?” I was immediately told that my answer was not correct and everyone should respond by being a 10 out of 10. Frankly, I felt that was dishonest…why would someone obviously lie about a question of honesty?
This interaction has stayed with me for years making me wonder, aren’t we all a little bit dishonest? And why was my “8” response so insulting? You can imagine my relief after reading Dan Ariely’s book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. Ariely walks the reader through numerous experiments and tested theories explaining different concepts about why and how people lie to themselves and others. He explains the Simple Model of Rational Crime (SMORC) and how it works in the rational mind stating we all essentially make our way through the world seeking our own advantage while considering the costs vs. benefits of our actions.
Example of the Experiment Matrix
Science Tells Us No One is a 10
Ariely describes numerous experiments that illustrate how the human mind works when it comes to cheating, however there is one experiment he conducts that sets the foundation of why no one is a 10. The control portion of the experiment describes MIT students being asked to solve as many matrices as possible (selecting two numbers that add up to ten from a grid of varying numbers) within 5 minutes, providing their completed answer sheet to a researcher to count their number of correct responses. They would then be paid 50 cents for each correct answer.
However, in an effort to take a deeper look into the SMORC model, Ariely and his team of researchers introduced varying conditions to this experiment to understand more about how and why individuals cheat. One of those conditions called for subjects to participate as described in the control condition, but when the 5 minutes were up ,they would count the number of matrices correct on their own, place their answer key in a shredder, and then self-report the number they answered correctly to the researcher for payment.
The results are probably not surprising to you if you have worked in the loss prevention field for very long. The results that were self-reported by the participants after their papers were shredded reported an average of solving two more matrices than the control condition participants. It is also interesting to note that this increase was not because a few people in the experiment chose to cheat a lot, but because lots of people chose to cheat just a little.
Ariely and his team of researchers carried out variation upon variation of this experiment including raising the amount paid, different ways of shredding their answer sheet, participants paying themselves instead of the researcher, etc. Each of the contrasting ways they altered the experiment emphasized the varying levels at which humans cheat, but they all reemphasized the findings that most humans will cheat at least a little bit given the opportunity.
Ariely’s central thesis is that our behavior is essentially driven by two opposing forces 1) we want to view ourselves as honest, honorable people and 2) we want to benefit as much as possible from cheating and get as much money as possible – standard financial motivation. We reconcile those two opposing ideals by maintaining a cognitive flexibility that allows us to rationalize that if we only cheat just a little bit, we can still see ourselves as “marvelous human beings.”
Causing Employees to Stop Before They Steal
If your goal is to prevent loss within your company, you might be thinking, “great, now what?” Ariely’s experiments do offer some hope when it comes to impacting an individual’s propensity to cheat and steal.
Ariely and his research team decided to test how a religious reminder impacted subjects that were about to participate in the matrix experiment. They asked one of the groups to try and recall as many of The Ten Commandments as possible and the other group to try and recall ten books they read in high school. The results were the group that tried to recall the ten books they read in high school had the same level of cheating but the group that tried to recall The Ten Commandments didn’t cheat at all. Ariely’s conclusion was these moral reminders diminish the willingness and tendency to cheat.
Of course, it would not be smart business to start posting The Ten Commandments around your retail or grocery store. But the science does indicate that incorporating moral reminders or honesty expectations in the form of an awareness program can help impact how honest your employees will be when faced with temptation. Here is another study that looks at the impact of signing your name as a commitment of honesty.
Two groups of MIT and Yale students were asked to sign honor codes right before they were given the chance to cheat on the matrix test. The students who did not sign it cheated a little bit, while the students that signed the code didn’t cheat at all. Maybe it’s time to bring back those signature cards for a statement of honesty for employees. The team of researchers conducted various other experiments testing this type of moral reminder before being placed into a tempting environment. Ariely concluded that the majority of people “seem to want to be honest, which suggests that it might be wise to incorporate moral reminders into situations that tempt us to be dishonest.” In the retail environment these situations might be handling cash transactions or merchandise, pressuring friend groups demanding discounts, and even the internal conflict of reporting a dishonest coworker.
We’ve all known that an employee awareness program is a valuable addition to your shrink-lowering formula, but as Ariely would suggest and the science demonstrates, it might be the most valuable element to impact the majority of your employees in a consistent way. Why not stop the theft before it starts?
Next time you are confronted with rating your honesty on a scale of one to 10, feel confident knowing maybe those replying a solid “10” are the ones you should be watching the most.
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California Eases Employers’ Ability To Obtain Restraining Orders Against Workplace Harassment
California was at the forefront of providing employers standing to seek injunctive relief to protect employees, customers, and vendors against credible threats of violence in the workplace under California Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8.
Effective January 1, 2025, SB 428 provides a more straightforward method for employers to guard against a broader threat range. The new law expands protection to situations where “knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person that seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses the person, and that serves no legitimate purpose.” And, the misconduct causes substantial emotional distress. Now, employers need not wait until harassing behavior escalates to violence or a credible threat of violence.
Aurora police team up with retail center at storefront in push to curb shoplifting
AURORA | Aurora Police and a large outdoor shopping center last week unveiled a collaborative effort officers and retailers hope will take a bite out of shoplifting crime.
“Community engagement is huge,” Aurora Police District 1 Commander Michael Gaskill said at an opening ceremony Feb. 13 at the Gardens on Havana shopping center. “We have to be able to partner with not just the community, but the businesses, and especially the ones who are feeling it the most with the retail theft.”
Police joined city and retailers at the large mall at East Mississippi Avenue and South Havana Street in opening what police officials are calling a substation in a vacant retail space, provided rent free by mall owners.
3 arrested in major Southern California retail theft ring
Three people have been arrested in what authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are calling a major organized retail theft case.
Detectives launched an investigation into the suspects after a 45-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman from Canyon Country committed an “Estes Robbery” at a retail business in the 19100 block of Golden Valley Road in the Santa Clarita Valley on Jan. 26.
An Estes Robbery in California is when suspects use some type of force against loss prevention personnel or store employees in the commission of the crime, escalating the shoplifting charge to a robbery.
Several weeks later, on Feb. 13, the same woman stole an unknown amount of retail merchandise from a store in Valencia. While she got away, investigators were able to identify her, according to an LASD news release.
A clean workplace isn't just about looking good; it's about keeping employees safe, productive, and out of legal trouble. Tropical Breeze Janitorial Services offers specialized cleaning to prevent accidents, reduce illness, and ensure compliance with health regulations. From daily floor cleaning to high-touch surface disinfection, they help keep workplaces hazard-free and healthy. Plus, a clean environment boosts employee morale and leaves a great impression on clients.
Gun Store Manager Accused of Embezzling $160K—Police Say Gambling Losses to Blame
A former manager at a Las Vegas gun store is facing serious legal trouble after allegedly stealing more than $160,000, with police linking the missing funds to massive gambling losses.
Debbie Walker, who worked for nearly a decade at Discount Firearms & Ammo on Highland Drive, has been charged with theft exceeding $100,000.
Counterfeit Software: The Hidden Risk Retailers Can't Ignore Year-Round
Impacting nearly 13.7% of all returned items in 2023, gift card and return frauds have become an unfortunate tradition among scam artists, but there's a much more sinister threat looming.
This year, counterfeit third-party software is causing significant scares for retailers, threatening their operations and customer trust.
This silent risk lurks in the shadows of our modern retail systems, such as vulnerabilities embedded within the software powering everything from the e-commerce platforms to the payment systems.
Potential Gang-Related Shooting Kills One in Grocery Store
A 47-year-old man was fatally shot inside a grocery store in South Los Angeles and Los Angeles Police Department detectives Wednesday are investigating the fatal shooting as gang-related.
Officers were called to the grocery store at 91st and Figueroa streets around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday where they learned two suspects chased the victim inside the store before shooting him, an LAPD officer told City News Service.
Report: Walmart Earnings Results Will Show Impact of Tariffs
When Walmart reports its fourth-quarter earnings results and guidance Thursday (Feb. 20), analysts will reportedly be looking for signs of the impact of new and potential tariffs.
The retailer known for its low prices is also the country’s largest importer of containerized goods, with many of those products coming from China and India, Reuters reported Wednesday (Feb. 19).
President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on China and threatened to do so with India, Canada and Mexico, according to the report.
Walmart is expected to report that it had record annual sales in 2024, according to the report.
However, investors will be looking to see if tariffs impacted margins or consumer spending during the year ended Jan. 31, the report said. The retailer’s guidance will also offer clues about this.
Walmart said in an April 2024 annual filing, per the report: “Significant changes in tax and trade policies, including tariffs and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries where we source many of the products we sell in our stores and clubs could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.”
Card skimming devices found at Carrick Shop 'n Save registers
Pittsburgh-area police departments are warning consumers about card skimmers after they were found at the Shop 'n Save in Carrick.
People going to the store off Brownsville Road could have lost hundreds of dollars after Pittsburgh Police said a store manager discovered two skimming devices on their registers.
Donald Nemit of Mount Oliver is concerned after $400 suddenly disappeared from his stepson's SNAP benefits last week.
"He was told that it was all gone. There was nothing on the card," Nemit said. "The card wouldn't authorize anything."
Two other women who didn't want to be identified also told KDKA-TV that their money had recently vanished on their EBT cards. Account activity one of them provided to KDKA-TV shows a cash out of more than $700. It came shortly after she shopped at the Carrick Shop 'n Save, where Nemit's stepson goes three to four times a week.
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