We recently terminated an employee based on violation of our core values (Teamwork, Achievement, Service and Character). The employee was subject to allegations of theft and for falsifying hours on their time card. Both allegations carried strong evidence of their truthfulness, but that didn't even matter in the end. It was a broken trust that sealed all of our fates.
As I look back at the incident, I do so with sadness. I question our judgement in hiring. How did we miss this (or how did the employee hide it so well) in our interview? Why did the employee not trust us enough to come to us to express difficulties they may have been having that drove them to these acts? Maybe it was neither of those and they just did something stupid.
I'm hopeful that we never have to see this again, though that is probably unlikely. It becomes our job to ensure that we are doing all we can to be supportive of our team and hope that they will come to us, if they feel they are overwhelmed with pressures they cannot resolve alone. If that fails, it becomes our job to hold true to our core values and not allow influences like this to breach our culture.