Annual leave enforcement may cut down on fraud

Forcing staff to take two weeks leave during the summer could help lower fraud, a report claims.

Making sure employees take two weeks holiday during the summer could help reduce the level of fraud within an organisation, a Ernst & Young report has found.

IT contractors using umbrella company services could be called in by businesses to help detect fraudulent activity while a person is away from their desk, the study suggested.

By doing this, any pauses in activity can be detected, therefore allowing a firm to act quickly on the individual once they have returned from their break.

Jonathan Middup, partner at Ernst & Young's fraud investigation and dispute services practice, said: "Frauds, such as accounts manipulation that are covered up in the course of the year are often spotted when colleagues take over and notice something is not quite right."

He explained that fraud is most often carried out by long-serving employees who are reluctant to take annual leave and work outside of usual hours.