Employee surveillance is a controversial topic. Employees have rights that protect them from being surveyed without consent. However, if there is reasonable doubt that an employee is not performing their duties, it’s possible to survey the individual with a private investigator. Covert surveillance is reviewed on a case to case basis after the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) determined that it can be justified under certain circumstances.
The WRC’s Controversial Case
A case that the WRC reviewed was concerning an employee of a trucking company. The employee was allowed to drive a company truck with paid fuel usage. The employer was concerned about the fuel usage, so they recorded the use of the fuel tank by using a camera. The video evidence revealed that the employee was indeed stealing fuel. This case solidified the court’s decision that the use of a camera was needed, and was not infringing on employee’s rights.
Grounds to Survey an Employee
RGH Investigators were involved in a similar situation, where we were hired by a roofing company in the Chicago suburbs to keep track of a sales employee. The salesman was suspected of not working. We were told that the salesman had a great sales record in the beginning of his employment. After one year, his work product noticeably declined. In his third year of employment, he was making nearly no sales. He told the roofing company that because of Covid and other world events going on at the time, people were not interested in installing roofs. The company believed him, until it dragged on too long.
Surveying the Employee
The roofing company reported that the salesman was supposed to make a minimum of 5 stops a day using the company car. The roofing company saw that he was making visits to the same clients per week, but no new stops. When RGH Investigations started surveying the employee, we noticed that in one day, he made 3 different stops. He was home by noon and did not work the rest of the day. On the second day, he did not leave his house. On the third day of surveillance, the employee made a few stops to different personal locations, such as a restaurant, the courthouse, and a lastly, a management company. He was home by 2pm, but was supposed to be home by 4pm, according to the employer.
We collected video footage and photos of the salesperson not performing his duties even though he was using the company car. We time stamped each event as evidence. The salesperson was later let go for falsifying time sheets and attendance records. He was being paid for a 40 hour work week, but did only 8 hours of actual work. Through a background check, RGH Investigations found out that the reason he was going to the courthouse was due to a previous court case for fraud.
In Need of Employee Surveillance?
Hiring a private investigator for employee surveillance is a definitive method to determine if an employee is doing the work they’re paid to do. A private investigator knows their limits. We maintain and protect employee rights, while using our advanced techniques to keep employee surveillance lawful. If you or anyone you know is in need of a private investigator for employee surveillance, contact RGH Investigations today at 312-981-8770.
