I worked for a company in the early 90s where a woman was fired for stealing from another employee. The only way she was caught was by placing a hidden camera in the office of the victim. The camera caught her sneaking into the office while the victim was elsewhere, opening her desk drawer, and removing cash from her wallet. It had been happening regularly for a few weeks, leaving the victim feeling a bit crazy, and wondering how her money was disappearing into thin air. lt was difficult for her to accept that one of her co-workers in this family-owned business was violating her in this way.

About ten years later, I worked for an organization whose office manager embezzled over $70,000 because it was a small operation and she had too much control over the daily financial workings. She was able to create ghost accounts that moved money into her personal one. She was criminally charged, but it nearly upended an organization that was doing a lot of good in the community.

Although these two examples are very different, they both created huge trust violations that left the victims feeling vulnerable and angry. In both cases, the perpetrators were caught because someone thought, “something’s not right here,” and steps were taken to discover the culprit. The first defense against workplace crime is to pay attention, and if it doesn’t seem right, speak up to someone in charge who has a vested interest in ensuring a crime-free workplace.

There are a number of tactics private investigators can employ to discover workplace dishonesty or crime, such as:

• Electronic surveillance (within the bounds of state laws and statutes)
• Employee interviews to gather information
• Background investigations to inform employers of particular employees’ criminal/workplace histories
• Undercover work (investigator posing as an employee to gather inside information)

Resolve Investigations can brainstorm with you customized ways to discover possible criminal or unethical behavior in your organization. It’s worth your peace of mind.

—Diane Dierks