Given that more than 90% of people have been the victim of theft, and the vast majority of these cases are done by someone they know, there is no doubt you might worry about your housekeeper.

Those of you lucky enough to be able to afford a housekeeper best watch your personal belongings.

I say this from a wealth of experience. I have many friends and acquaintances who have been victims of theft from a housekeeper. As a counselor for both in-class and online stop theft classes I also have had many students in my classroom who were housekeepers and were attending as the result of bad behavior.

This issue is made all the more serious when you have had a housekeeper for a long time and you trusted them. So, what should you do if a trusted housekeeper steals from you.

There are two possibilities. One, you could fire them on the spot. A zero-tolerance policy for theft is always a good idea. However, if you really like this housekeeper and think it was an honest mistake, suggest they can keep their job if they take a good stop theft class. I also believe almost everyone deserves a second chance.

Let me know what you think.