When we think of shrinkage, we most often associate it with retail operations. However, shrinkage is a major issue in school nutrition programs around the country, and all too often, it goes unnoticed until the loss of money and inventory has already taken a heavy toll on the school or district. Opportunities for shrinkage in the school setting abound, including:
- Employee theft
- Administrative fraud
- Vendor fraud
With risk factors present both inside and outside the district, inventory and cash flow must be constantly monitored with more dedication than most schools have the time or labor to maintain. Luckily, when it comes to keeping track of your stock, orders, and finances, Horizon’s back-of-house software is on the job 24/7 with near-instant updates that you can access from any device, providing the one solution you need to combat all risk factors: accountability.
What kind of accountability does Horizon’s back-of-house software provide? Our system monitors and reports:
- Who is responsible for each step of the ordering and utilization process
- How and when is inventory used, and by whom
- Discrepancies between ordering and use
Most importantly, this level of accountability provides you with the knowledge you need to advance past simply reporting on resources and truly manage them to their best use.
Horizon’s back-of-house software is a fully integrated solution designed to help you optimize your nutrition program operations and enhance your loss prevention strategies. In a retail setting, shrinkage is something that can be accounted for and included in budget planning as a loss that is, to some degree, inevitable. Retail shrinkage is impersonal. School nutrition programs, however, exist to feed and care for the students for whom your district is responsible. Any loss of food, money, or other assets directly impacts your ability to fulfill that responsibility. Shrinkage is not a victimless crime.
With Horizon’s back-of-house software, district administrators and school nutrition program directors can monitor operations as broadly or in as much detail as necessary, allowing you to not only pick up on discrepancies, but also trace any questionable activity directly back to the person involved. By using software that provides literal, mathematical accountability, districts can in turn hold their employees, administrators, and vendors accountable for any errors and accidental deliberate wrongdoing.
To learn more about the accountability HST brings to back-of-house operations, check out our video.
