Employee Theft Investigations
In the years that followed, and as pandemic restrictions are lifted, the permanence of remote and hybrid workforces became apparent. While this unprecedented shift toward home-based work has brought many benefits for employers and employees alike, the past few years have started to reveal the more sinister side-effects of this shift: overemployment, and a slew of wrongful termination lawsuits toward employers who suspect their employees may be engaged in this practice.
Evidence is the best insurance – consider Employment Investigation today!
Don't leave your business open to the threat of litigation over wrongful termination, and take proactive steps to avoid becoming a casualty of underperforming employees of the post-COVID work era. Contact us today to discuss our capabilities regarding workplace investigations, and to receive a free quote for your requested case.
Perfect example of an Employee Theft investigation:
An employment law attorney called us. Their client suspected one of their employees was falsifying their work hours through faking her online activity. This employee had a company laptop and she was working from home. However, where most employees showed they were online and their performance remained stable. This employee's hours remained the same yet her performance had dropped significantly. The employer believed there was something amis and needed outside assistance. In our experience, we believed the best way to show what the employee was up was through covert surveillance. We arrived at her apartment in Long Beach and begun. We spotted her apartment and her vehicle at the curb. The employer reported to us that she had logged into their system for a meeting and was present. However, when the meeting ended the employee departed the apartment complex. She drove her vehicle to PCH and headed towards the Queen Mary. She arrived at Shoreline Aquatic park. We then captured 30minutes of video of her performing Yoga at the park while she was logged in and supposed to be working.
What is overemployment?
Overemployment (OE for short) is a newly coined term that describes remote workers who maintain multiple W2 positions simultaneously. In the tech sector especially, the viability of overemployment is significantly higher than many employers might admit to themselves. With the advent of AI that can join and notetake meetings on behalf of the individual, to automation software that can perform the job of an employee, it's now easier than ever for employees to juggle multiple 9-5s simultaneously.
Now, experienced OE-ers are often careful to do the bare minimum, never go on-video for calls (or even interviews, a lot of times), and block off their calendars to avoid concurrent call schedules. They also manage to perform at a level in which their positions' requirements are just barely met, so as to avoid any unwanted attention toward their performance, or to incur a valid termination due to a breach of contract by not meeting expectations. However, as this practice has become more widespread, newer OE-ers have become far more brazen in their workplace performance – often underperforming to a point where companies might struggle to see a benefit in their continued employment.Such underperformance is responsible for diminished profits, and sometimes even lost clientele. As a result, employers may be forced to terminate these marginally underperforming employees.
Termination of Suspected Overemployed Employees
While terminating a suspected overemployed worker who has been underperforming may sound like a straightforward solution, the reality is far from this expectation. Rather, these employees often maintain the charade, resulting in their suing for wrongful termination! Without substantiating evidence, these laid-off workers have the upper-hand in court – costing your company substantially more, even to get rid of them. Or worse yet, they file a bogus workers compensation claim to further hurt your company and delay the inevitable. (See more on our workers compensation investigations)
Skyrocketing Insurance Costs, or Lost Insurance
Unfortunately the most substantial impact of a wrongful termination lawsuit in this day and age is the impact such litigation will inevitably have on your insurance. Even without a verdict, the mere existence of such lawsuits can cause your business insurance to skyrocket, and even prevent you from getting insured by other providers in the future. This is the true danger of laying off suspected overemployed workers, as a loss of insurance will also open your business up to any future litigation, all while uninsured. Thus, acquiring indisputable evidence against a suspected overemployed individual before terminating their employment is absolutely crucial to prevent a cascade of events that could leave your business vulnerable and bankrupt.
Los Angeles Employment Investigations by Experienced Licensed Private Investigators
As LA's top private investigators for over 25 years, we take pride in keeping up to date with the latest trends, to better serve businesses, attorneys, and private parties throughout the city and county. Our approach to employment investigations are grounded in a robust understanding of the tactics utilized by OE-ers, coupled with our knowledge of what immediately disarms any potential threat of lawsuit by those terminated. The most effective defense against litigation brought on by the termination of an overemployed worker, is simply the knowledge of their status as a multi-W2 employee. If you, as an employer, have concrete evidence of their working habits, any threats of suing will immediately subside, as you'll have gained the upper hand.
Surveillance is key
Our investigations commonly uncover behavior such as stepping outside, taking calls, or joining interviews while on-the-clock at your company – easily tracked via things like Slack or Teams statuses, combined with on-site surveillance of the individual in as little as a single afternoon. By acquiring this hard evidence, a terminated employee threatening litigation would have to face the possibility of not only immediately having their wrongful termination suit thrown out, but have a completely legitimate and evidence-substantiated case of time theft brought against them, by you, the employer! The knowledge of this, coupled with a very real threat backed by hard evidence, will immediately put any problematic terminated employee on a path as far away from you and your business as possible.
Private Investigation services:
As your trusted partner in investigations, we offer a wide range of services beyond employment investigations. From workers' compensation investigations to child custody investigations, witness locates, and difficult service of process, our experienced team is equipped to handle diverse challenges with precision and discretion. With a proven track record of success spanning over two decades, we prioritize client satisfaction and deliver results you can rely on. Contact us today to explore how our comprehensive investigative solutions can support your needs effectively.
