Continuation of Sick Pay Fraud | Unauthorized Secondary Employment

Sick pay fraud is among the most common reasons for commissioning Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin – hardly surprising given approximately 1.8 million working Berlin residents.

 

The networks of our social safety systems were established to help those in need. Many employees, however, do not seem to appreciate that exploiting these insurances by feigning illness is not a trivial offence but rather a harm to both the employer and society. Calling in sick fraudulently is an act of fraud. Interestingly, absenteeism in Berlin’s public offices reaches particularly high levels. Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin assists you in preventing active harm to your company caused by pretended illnesses.

 

Employees may work undeclared for other companies, possibly even competitors, attend family gatherings, go on holiday, or busily renovate their own apartments during "sick leave." Employers are obliged to continue paying sick pay for up to six weeks. Do not allow yourself to be exploited. The detectives at Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin observe your suspicious employees and secure evidence admissible in court.

Sick pay fraud Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin, Copyright Dennis Skley; Detective in Berlin, Private Investigator Berlin

The Berlin Economy as a Job Engine – Potential for Offences

In April 2015, Berlin’s Senator for Economics, Cornelia Yzer, described the Berlin economy as a “job engine.” With its extraordinary future prospects, the formerly divided city on the Spree not only attracts thousands of creative, often young job seekers but is also highly appealing to countless foreign companies. Of the three traditional sectors in economic theory, a significant proportion is the service sector, employing most Berliners – according to IHK Berlin, the share of value creation in the service sector fluctuated between approximately 82 and 84 percent in recent years. Employees in service companies often work in the field or are generally not strictly bound to fixed working hours. This creates temptation to exploit these circumstances and arrange one’s time more freely than contractually permitted.

 

Here, we are not only talking about feigned incapacity for work but also, in particular, undeclared work, unauthorised secondary employment, and – as a particularly severe special case – unauthorised secondary employment for competing companies. Our Berlin private detectives and corporate investigators have even encountered cases in which individuals engaged in all of these activities simultaneously: a secondary job for a competitor that was neither approved by the employer nor registered with tax authorities or social security (i.e., undeclared) during a sick leave period at the primary employer. This combination, of course, represents the peak of audacity and, when proven, carries serious civil and criminal consequences. Yet Berlin offers an unrivalled range of employers and temptations in Germany, so such cases continue to occur.

 

If you suspect that you have been a victim of sick pay fraud, do not hesitate to seek advice from our Berlin detectives: +49 30 5557 8641-0.

Molecule Men Berlin; Detective Agency Berlin, Corporate Detective Agency Berlin, Corporate Investigator Berlin

Unauthorized Secondary Employment – Breach of Competition Restrictions

In principle, every citizen is free to engage in secondary employment during their free time. However, employment contracts often impose at least an obligation to inform the employer when taking up secondary work. The situation becomes delicate when the side job creates a conflict of interest. This occurs if the employee works for a competitor or regularly exceeds the statutory maximum weekly working hours. Secondary employment during holidays is generally not permitted, as this time is meant for rest and to prevent a decline in the employee’s performance due to overstrain. Often, unauthorised activities are carried out undeclared – using your customers and materials – resulting in substantial financial harm to your company.

 

The detectives of our Berlin corporate detective agency observe your employee and provide legally admissible evidence. If the suspicion is confirmed, the employee is generally liable for damages. Recover what is rightfully yours. Kurtz Detective Agency Berlin is here to help: +49 30 5557 8641-0.