There are times when a business has good reason to be suspicious about what’s going on, but doesn’t yet have enough evidence to know for certain.
An employee may be off work with an injury but appear to be far more active than expected. There may be concerns about theft, fraud or misuse of company time. In other cases, a business might just need an independent record of someone’s movements or activities before deciding what to do next.
That’s where corporate surveillance services can be useful. When it’s done in the right way, surveillance can help businesses establish facts, gather evidence and make better-informed decisions, without being some overbearing, invasive organisation that acts unfairly to its employees.
What Are Corporate Surveillance Services?
Corporate surveillance usually involves discreetly observing and recording a person’s activities over a period of time. The aim isn’t to follow someone around for the sake of it and it certainly shouldn’t be used just to make sure everyone is being as productive as they could be with every second of their day…
You need to have a solid reason for wanting to carry out surveillance. Depending on the case, this could involve monitoring someone’s movements, establishing where they’re going, identifying who they’re meeting or recording particular activities that may be relevant to an investigation.
A professional private investigator will usually spend time understanding the background first. Good surveillance is often as much about preparation as it is about sitting in a vehicle with a camera.
Investigating Suspected Employee Misconduct
Employee misconduct can cover a wide range of situations. A business might suspect that somebody is carrying out other paid work while they’re supposed to be working for their employer, for example.
There may be concerns about unauthorised use of company vehicles, stock or equipment, or somebody regularly disappearing during working hours.
Surveillance can sometimes provide a clearer picture of what’s actually happening. But it’s important that businesses don’t jump straight from suspicion to assuming wrongdoing. Someone being seen somewhere unexpected doesn’t automatically mean they’ve done anything wrong! Surveillance is useful because it can help establish a pattern of behaviour and provide information that can then be considered alongside any other evidence.
Looking Into Potentially Fraudulent Injury Claims
Potentially fraudulent or exaggerated injury claims are another common reason for businesses, insurers and solicitors to consider surveillance, especially considering the potential costs to the business should the claims be legitimate.
Someone may claim that an injury significantly restricts their mobility or prevents them from carrying out certain everyday activities. If there are real concerns about whether that description is accurate, surveillance may help establish what the person is actually able to do.
For example, footage might show somebody walking significant distances, lifting heavy items, driving or taking part in activities that appear inconsistent with the limitations they’ve described.
That doesn’t mean surveillance alone proves a claim is fraudulent. Injuries can vary from day to day, and a short period of activity doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. What it can do is provide useful, independent evidence which can help to bolster a case.
Dealing With Theft, Fraud or Other Suspicious Behaviour
Not every corporate investigation involves an employee who’s off sick or making a claim.
Businesses may also have concerns about theft, fraud, unauthorised transactions or suspicious meetings with third parties. There could be worries that confidential information is being shared, assets are being removed or someone is behaving in a way that’s in direct conflict with their responsibilities to the company.
In some cases, surveillance can help establish where a person is going and what they’re doing. It may also help confirm whether suspicions have any basis at all, or there’s nothing to worry about.
Sometimes surveillance doesn’t uncover wrongdoing. That can still be valuable information for a business that needs to know whether its concerns are justified.
When Surveillance May Not Be Appropriate
Corporate surveillance shouldn’t be used simply because an employer is curious about what someone does outside work. That’s not the society we live in, thankfully.
There should be a legitimate reason for the investigation, and the methods used should be proportionate to the concern. Privacy, data protection and the way information is gathered all need to be taken very seriously.
This is one of the reasons it makes sense to use an experienced investigator rather than trying to handle surveillance informally in-house. A professional investigator should be able to talk through the purpose of the enquiry, what can realistically be achieved and whether surveillance is actually the right approach.
In some cases, a different form of investigation may be more suitable. Or the investigator may well decide that your need isn’t legitimate at all, and tell you so.
What Can Corporate Surveillance Actually Establish?
Surveillance can be very useful, but it isn’t a magic answer to every problem. It can provide an objective record of where somebody went, what they did and how they behaved during a particular period. It may show meetings, journeys, physical activities or repeated patterns that are relevant to an investigation.
What it can’t always do is explain why somebody behaved in a particular way. A person walking into a certain building, for example, tells you where they went. It doesn’t necessarily tell you what happened once they were inside.
Good investigators understand the difference between what the evidence shows and what someone might be tempted to assume from it.
Why Experience Matters in Corporate Surveillance
Surveillance can look simple from the outside, but carrying it out well requires experience. An investigator has to remain discreet while staying close enough to gather useful evidence. They need to make quick decisions, understand when to keep following and when doing so could compromise the enquiry, and maintain accurate notes throughout.
That doesn’t mean just making rush decisions – a lot goes into planning, too. There’s little point spending hours watching an empty property because the basic information wasn’t checked beforehand. That’s an expensive bill for you, despite the lack of productivity.
An experienced private investigation agency will look at the information available, think about likely routines and plan the surveillance around the best chance of getting a useful result. That can also help keep costs under control.
Choosing the Right Corporate Surveillance Company
If you’re considering corporate surveillance, it’s worth choosing an investigator who takes the time to understand what you’re trying to establish.
Ask about their experience with similar cases, how they report their findings and what they believe can realistically be achieved. A good investigator shouldn’t promise a particular result before the surveillance has even started.
Being clear on costs is important too. The most appropriate approach will depend on the circumstances, which means there’s no set fee for what this kind of work entails. If your business has concerns about employee misconduct, a potentially fraudulent claim or another matter where discreet investigation could help establish the facts, call EJM Investigations on 01772 334700 to have a discussion about your enquiry.