Helen Roush, Executive Vice President of Paperitalo Publications

This month's editorial topic is corruption.

Having corrupt employees can cost a business tons of money. An entire inventory of product that was destroyed is devastating. A downed IT system, caused by an IT person who no longer works there, but still had credentials to the system for hours could wreak havoc on a paper mill.

Employees can become corrupt if they are disgruntled by something they perceive as a slight to them. It might be misperceived, but that point doesn't matter, especially if people can't control their emotions. Or sometimes the employee was just a corrupt person from the start.

While you can seek legal ramifications against whoever caused damage, it doesn't change the fact that their actions caused the damage and loss that the company might not be able to recoup.

Can HR screen potential employees better? Probably. Perhaps psych evals or tests to see what a person would do when angered, comprehensive background checks, credential validation and rigorous reference checks are in order.

Companies should investigate better ways to implement deep vetting protocols before they hire anyone.