Kings Lynn
Dealing with Possible Payroll Fraud
Running a golf club is not easy. It is a massive undertaking. The next staffing or membership issue could be just around the corner and all it takes is one small mistake to get slapped with a lawsuit or severely fined. Without proper guidance and counselling many things can go wrong, but by outsourcing their HR duties to professionals, managers can safeguard their club against liability.
For the last few months, Richard Jessop, the General Manager at King’s Lynn Golf Club has been keeping Golf HR busy with a range of complicated issues.
“There really has been a bellyful these last few months where it seems that we have been firefighting with either
membership or staffing issues. We have had disciplinary issues and contentious issues with disciplinaries with club members. I think we’ve been on the phone daily to Golf HR.”
During the course of operating a golf club there will be many challenges as well as things you hope you never have to confront. Suspecting a member of staff of fraud, of claiming more money than they are entitled to is one of them. This is one of the pressing issues at King’s Lynn.
“There has been fraud over changing rotas. One person has tried to claim more money than they were actually due. There was also something with filling out a timesheet incorrectly.”
No business or club is immune from staff fraud, and dealing with someone you think may have been dishonest is never going to be a breeze. Great care must be taken with every single contact with the individual, whether in person or by letter, email or phone, less the problems are exacerbated.
“I am in my fourth year here and there are one or two things that have happened where we spoke to our local solicitor. And the advice that they gave us may not have stood up in a court of law. Among the positives of Carolyne and her team is that they are already working with golf clubs. And golf clubs are unique, certainly private members’ golf clubs. Golf HR is giving me and the board the confidence to know that we are getting professional advice.”
When you just want to get on with running a golf club, staff issues are an unwelcome distraction. And this ongoing case over a possible fraud is a taking up a lot of time. However, with the guidance of HR professionals, it is possible to navigate a clear path through difficult times.
“I’m pretty thick skinned, you have to be sitting where we do and dealing with things every day that we have to deal with. But we have to make sure we get everything right. As general managers we are general managers, we are not trained in HR. So for me, there is great comfort in knowing that I can pick up the phone at any time for advice. That’s not just from my point of view but the board’s as well.”