One of the most common problems facing employers is absenteeism and fraudulent sickness absence and to prove this can be very hard. Not only does this cost your business time, your operational deadlines are missed and it will certainly also cost you financially.
When an employee takes time off work you have to reorganise your team and they do their best to take up the role and fulfil the working requirements. Your absent employee may well have genuine sickness however continued absenteeism will always be a trigger for you to start thinking about an investigation. A shocking statistic is that one-third of employee absenteeism is fraudulent and this is a clear breach of contract. Your internal human resources processes will certainly help you once you have the evidence to prove fraud however gaining that evidence is where Covert Investigations & Surveillance can help.
Our investigation process
We are extremely skilled in providing covert surveillance and investigations into staff members. Our work is carried out in such a way that we can confirm the validity of the employee absenteeism or give you discreet evidence that can be used by your HR processes to prove fraud without the employee being aware.
Not only does this give you the evidence you need it will also deter other employees from trying similar activities and therefore help your business’s operational aspects remain consistent.
Is monitoring staff legal?
The simple answer is yes. However you need to ensure that you follow the correct procedures in doing so. As an employer you are bound by the Data Protection Act and therefore all information about your employees needs to be protected. However as an employer you also have the right to protect your business and your interests. If a staff member is suspected of conducting fraudulent absenteeism this will clearly impact on your business and therefore you are taking affirmative action to reduce the harm that employee is having on your interests.
All you need to have is “reasonable suspicion” that your employee is conducting fraud against you. This will be the grounds for the private investigation and we will then conduct our discrete investigation and provide you will all the relevant information you need to take internal action against that employee. Check out our private investigation costs here.
What we shall provide
At the end of our investigation you will be provided with information about the employees activities whilst absent from work. Video surveillance will also be given that will corroborate our detailed and written report. This information will be provided in such a way that not only will your HR process be able to act against the employee internally, should this case go to court it can also be used in as our services are always provided in such a way that a judge will accept them as sound evidence.
Your next steps
Why not speak to Covert Investigations and Surveillance Ltd for assistance in proving employee absenteeism fraud?
If you would like to find out more and to arrange a meeting to discuss your case requirements please Contact Us or call 029 2091 3294.
