Working hours: Working time fraud: How companies can defend themselves
Doing laundry, going shopping, watching Netflix: Again and again, employees take care of private matters during their working hours. Where the fraud begins and what companies can do about it.
In Berlin, employees occasionally indulge in a nap, sneak out for shopping or a workout, or cook a Bolognese while on the job. When workers pretend to work during time they are actually doing something else, it is classified as labor fraud. Such practices are not uncommon in Germany. According to a survey conducted by the market research institute Consumerfieldwork, 13 percent of 1,000 German employees admitted to not accurately recording their work hours.
Additionally, three-quarters of the participants confessed to completing personal tasks during work hours. However, labor fraud is not a trivial offense; it has significant economic implications, according to Sascha Stowasser, who heads the Institute for Applied Labor Sciences (IFAA) and has been researching workforce changes for years.
"Sick days are very costly for businesses," he notes. So, when does poor morale end and fraud begin? And what can managers do to combat this issue?
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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