Espionage and client theft have almost become exclusive to the corporate world due to the fact that there are far greater profits and revenue to be made from the private sector.  Companies can no longer afford to simply react; to react would mean that the act (or damage) has already occurred.  With technology continuously advancing, a proactive stance must be taken in terms of workplace investigations to avoid instant and catastrophic losses.

We live in a world today where security has become more of a privilege than a right.  The usual urban Police Service has one officer per 600 members of the community on average, a term more commonly known as ‘cop to pop’. With that said the police simply don’t have the resources to provide an adequate workplace investigation within the corporate world.  What they do have time for however; is to collect the evidence that would illustrate a thorough investigation leading to a satisfying conclusion.

There is no greater asset to a company than its personnel.  This of course also means that they can quickly become the organization’s worst enemy.  A disgruntled employee can be as equally damaging as a dishonest one, leading to big losses through acts such as complacency or even sabotage.  In the majority of these cases the culprit will broadcast their accomplishment to gain recognition with fellow employees as a badge of honor.  It is these cases where an investigator within the workplace can either prevent the incident or determine the guilty party.

Furthermore with the corporate world becoming more of a global community many employees are now performing their duties away from the office or even at home.  With the dependence on more sales and new clients for business growth and to remain competitive, employees are increasingly trusted to be completing their tasks on their own in the most productive manor.  It is imperative that the organization’s resources are utilized to their full extent and employees are in fact focusing on the assigned task.  We need to make certain that people keep moving in positive directions when the boss is not present.

The general mood throughout a work environment can and will greatly impact the productivity of the organization.  More often than not, management is the last to know what the actual mood on the floor is.  It is this late notification that can be detrimental when it comes to major issues and can commonly lead to low morale within the workplace or even labour disputes.  To know these issues ahead of time can be extremely advantageous to the administration.

With the phenomenon of social media such as Facebook or Twitter, alliances are much easier to form; whether they are at the same location or remotely, everyone is simply a message away.  The viral trend known as flash mobs are predominantly formed via Twitter; this a very entertaining use of the social media using a series of complex choreography to produce a unified dance.  This same type of application is also used to calculate a variety of other activities with much less positive intentions or motives.  The bottom line is that a group of people determined to make a point or cause destruction using mob mentality tactics, no longer need to be in the same room, country or continent, nor do they need to have ever met at all.

Management becoming proactive and being aware of all issues and concerns is the best answer to avoid these problems.  Deterrence, detection, and prevention are essential in order for an organization to be prosperous and productive within this progressively competitive business world.

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