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Detective work can sometimes be really easy. Norbert Idel rings the bell for the employee’s neighbor, whom he is responsible for following. The detective explains that he is looking for the man because of a car sale advertisement, but cannot contact him. It’s no wonder, says the lady in the apartment across the street, who’s been on vacation for several days. It takes two or three more sentences, and the Solingen detective is already on the trail of the employee, who should be home and working remotely. Idels is not really interested in buying a car – he was hired to gather evidence that the investigator was not working at home after his bosses suspected something was wrong due to rare responses to emails and phone calls. In fact, the employee is on vacation at a campsite in the Netherlands, which Idel documents with photos, and does everything except his job.
Detectives to monitor employees? Yes, due to the coronary crisis, this is already possible. The companies had released detectives after employees when someone took weeks off for a cold. However, since the start of the pandemic, headquarters has been the new heavenly manna for job breakers.
Most people work very conscientiously from home, often even longer hours than at the office, but there are those who take advantage of the situation.
How do detectives work?
Almost half of companies in Germany doubt that their employees, who work from home, are as productive as in the office, according to an Ifo Institute survey of 1,000 companies. For some, suspicion even goes as far as hiring detectives or installing spyware on office computers.
Professional detective associations refuse to comment on the boom in demand for their services, but admit that in the pandemic, more and more companies want to mask their employees by working from home.
This trend is likely to intensify in the coming weeks, as with the return of restrictions in several countries and regions due to the new wave of the epidemic, many companies are re-emptying their offices.
Detective Idel is now monitoring nearly a third of his clients’ employees, and at the height of the pandemic, the number was even higher.
“Companies can also use detective services for preventive purposes. So employees know they will be caught if they break,” he said.
The ex-soldier recounts the repeated sightings of a sales manager leaving his house only twice a day, to throw out the trash and collect his mail.
“When the employee is at home all day, it is very difficult to check if he really works or watches Netflix,” said the detective.
However, in 80% of cases, Idel and his partner report “home office scammers”.
No investigation without suspicions
In recent months, Idel, 62, has spoken with many business leaders, from small businesses to corporations, and has turned down a third of research requests. When a company simply hopes to get rid of an employee through management who is not liked by management, investigating a private investigator is not an option for legal reasons. Companies should have a well-founded and specific suspicion, such as a complaint from other employees that their colleague is difficult to contact, or the individual’s poor performance for months. Otherwise, compensation claims can be filed against the employer, which can cost them dearly. If the request is substantiated and after signing confidentiality agreements, private investigators can use two methods, such as police officers to investigate a suspect or put him under surveillance, something that sounds spectacular, but in practice is quite boring.
Detectives have the right to carry out their investigations only in public spaces and in no case do they have the right to enter houses, as this would be theft.
Idel, however, admits that he sometimes interprets the rules somewhat broadly.
“Sometimes we climb a tree to see if the car is still in front of the garage,” he said.
A dozen detectives work for Idel in Germany, united by their low-key appearance. However, if you wait all day in front of someone’s house, you should not attract the attention of neighbors. After 40 years in the trade, you can disguise yourself, for example, often posing as an employee who monitors traffic or measures air quality.
His colleague Simon, who has 30 years of detective experience, simply stands with the hood of the car in the street and pretends to be waiting for roadside assistance. In any case, the police have been alerted to the investigation so that a patrol with lights on does not draw the attention of detectives.
The work is well paid: 800 euros a day is rather at the bottom of the price scale. However, one day has not been long enough for a long time, as the judges require longer observation and testimony from several detectives before declaring the dismissal legal.
Customer invoices usually reach 10,000 euros and even more. This is the money that most businesses would rather not spend in tough economic times, so in what cases is that effort worth it?
“We see mostly long-term employees who have already left internally, but from whom companies can only shed big profits,” says Simon.
“In practice, a detective is the last resort a company can turn to. With such warrants, companies always aim to gather incriminating evidence that the employee is not performing their duties,” said attorney Schroeder.
In many cases, gathering evidence can result in termination, although “home office scammers” often get away with just a warning.
Speak instead of detective
For occupational psychologist Hannah Shade, this is the only justifiable reason why companies would hire a detective. According to her, companies must also make it clear that these are justified exceptions, because otherwise “a climate of distrust and fear is created.”
“In this way, employees are given the feeling that they are suspected of laziness in general,” Shade said.
Consequently, this would lead to a situation where many will carry out their official duties strictly according to the rules, without allowing themselves innovation and creativity in the work process, warns the psychologist.
“To achieve value control, managers must work with their employees to develop realistic goals that clearly state what tasks need to be completed and in how long,” he suggested.
If problems occur, it is advisable to speak with the employee. In this way, managers could better discuss with employees who have been absent from their tasks for some time, the reasons for this. A private detective cannot answer this question, emphasizes Shade.
The detectives, of course, have a different point of view.
“Companies can use the intervention of detectives as health prevention. Then employees will know that the theft will have consequences,” Idel said.
Translated from the German by abbreviation: Elena Savova, BTA
