You can’t be everywhere at once. That much is a given. Even Superman, with his godlike “man of steel” powers, can only be in one place at any given time.
However, thanks to innovations in modern technology and advanced surveillance methods, it is possible for you to be in one place while monitoring events somewhere else. For instance, while you’re at work, you can check on your nanny at home using a Wi-Fi camera. And if you’re worried about people breaking into your office while you’re away, you can consider installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) to capture live feeds.
The Importance of Workplace Surveillance
As an employer, you have the right to protect yourself from possible risks that may originate from your employees. Having surveillance equipment in place significantly reduces the risk of workplace crimes such as arson, theft, and vandalism.
Digital surveillance also helps you monitor the use of office resources by your employees. For instance, if a worker were using the office’s data to watch, download, and share pornography, you would want to know. Not only does it protect you from a potential lawsuit, it also protects other employees around the office.
There is also the fact that workplace surveillance increases office productivity. Employees are less likely to spend time lounging when there is a surveillance camera overhead. Although workplace surveillance does not guarantee that you will never have to worry about low productivity, it reduces the frequency of such occurrences.
Private Investigator Surveillance
Private investigator (PI) workplace surveillance adds an important human element to modern surveillance: cognitive reasoning. As effective as cameras are, they only capture the visual images of events. Camera recordings only give you a one-sided glimpse into what happens, which may not always be useful.
However, with PI surveillance, you are able to learn more. Combining the intuitive information provided by a private investigator with the raw data collected by cameras, you can significantly improve the productivity and security of your workplace. To put things into perspective, the following is a list of some of the benefits of hiring a private investigator.
Control of Traffic
Private investigators can help you monitor who visits and leaves an area. For instance, if you wish to keep track of the people who come to visit your employees when you are away or engaged in a meeting, you can hire an investigator to infiltrate the ranks. Hiring a private investigator in such scenarios can be a useful way to uncover and build a case of theft against other employees who are working with outsiders.
In theory, you could monitor the flow of traffic to your office by installing cameras. But the downside to cameras is that they are fixed. It is also easy for people to dodge camera identification using simple tricks like wearing baseball caps and keeping their faces down.
There is also the fact that in order to spot a crime that occurred in the week, you would need to carefully review hours and hours of video footage compiled over the period. Because of this, many crimes go undetected.
Learn More About Your Employees
Employees never say or do anything wrong when the boss is around; however, it’s a completely different story when the boss is away. If you are concerned that your employees may be up to no good while you are out of the office, PI surveillance can help uncover this.
You can hire a private investigator to pose as a new employee and find out what exactly goes on in the office. What is the general opinion about the office condition? Are employees happy with their workplace treatment or would they like improvements? If there is anything illegal going on, the investigator will report it to you.
Catch Criminals
If you have suspicions about criminal activity in your office, PI surveillance may be able to help you catch those responsible. Some employers hire private investigators to pose as workers and build friendly relationships with specific targets. Using these relationships, the investigator can gain the trust of the employees and find out the details of the crime. In addition to detecting past crimes, an investigator may even be able to help foil new crimes being planned.
Detect Holes in Your Security
How safe is your workplace? Criminals are resourceful and very inventive. You may think that your office has a foolproof system that prevents employees from ripping you off, but you could be wrong.
Having an extra set of eyes that your employees don’t know about gives you an important access point. Your PI will be able to monitor the activities of your workers while their guards are down. The PI will be able to review the security measures you have in place, spot possible holes, and then make recommendations on how you can tighten security.
Loss Prevention
Even with the best screening measures, you may still accidentally hire bad employees. Periodically working with private investigators allows you to account for this. The investigator can review the performance of your employees and let you know if there are workers that should draw your concern.
Working with the Right Surveillance Agency
To get the best results from your surveillance, you will need to choose the right company. Not every private investigator has the skills to conduct surveillance. It is also important that you hire a private investigator that has a firm understanding of the legal laws that bind PI work.
One of the major arguments against workplace surveillance is that it can sometimes be abused. Bosses have been known to set up illegal cameras that violated the privacy and rights of their workers.
Working with an experienced PI agency that has a thorough understanding of the law ensures that you will not accidentally walk into a lawsuit. When choosing an agency, there are different things that you should consider. If you find an investigator who is not licensed, you should rethink your decision.
