Category Archives: Betrayal in business

Discovered the mistreatments of the babysitter

baby-sitterA few weeks ago, a lady came in Endoacustica company very alarmed. She has a 2 year old child who, for reasons of work, left for about six hours a day with a babysitter. The choice of the girl to whom entrust their child had been arduous and meticulous. She and her husband had evaluated many curriculum and they had personally met with the candidates. The girl chosen as well as having a rich background of experience, was found to be cheerful and sunny, so was the best.

At the time when the lady has contacted us, the babysitter had been working from four months in the family: she took care of the child, fed him, took him for a walk. The mother said that usually, when she returned, the child was sad, tired and whining. Also reported that one day, returning at home, she noticed strange marks on the baby’s face, scratches. The young woman had justified the incident with an accidental fall of the child. Episode that really can happen to a child, who, however, had strange morbid attitudes towards parents and resentment towards the baby sitter.

The lady discussed with her husband and together they became aware that something was wrong. The team Endoacustica, once heard the story, has recommended the installation of a DVR All in one, a micro audio and video recorder, in the baby’s stroller so that they can monitor what happened in their absence. The recorded images have very troubled the parents. The girl was anything but loving with the child, she let him cry for hours, while she watched TV, and when the baby refused to eat, she used strong-arm tactics. Parents have promply brought the material collected by the police reporting the baby sitter. The evidences have been fundamental to witness their story.

Now it’s in progress the criminal proceedings. The mother took a vacation to stay with her son; unlikely she’ll leave again the child in the hands of babysitter, although referenced, in a uncontrolled manner.

Employees and social networks

Once you have finished a job interview has become habit that the owner and the interviewee run on facebook or other social networks to investigate attitudes and preferences of the interlocutor. “Browse” would be the most appropriate term to define this established practice which aims to obtain as much informations as possible about the subject to assume or, on the other hand, the person to impress.

social_networking_sites (1)The law has reiterated in recent days, that the employer can’t obligate an employee, during the job interview, to access to his social profiles, perhaps under the guise of assessing attitudes and predispositions in the management of his profile. But nobody forbids to observe the public profile.

In California, entered into force the Social Media Privacy Act, the most important U.S. law regarding the new digital scenarios, to defend the rights of workers and students. Despite the surprise of many, the law states that the boss can have access to private accounts in the case of suspected misconduct of the employee.

The ACLU, historical American Association for Civil Rights, has pointed out that the law doesn’t protect the young, the students, who often receive numerous requests for access by staff of the attended school. Open the question about the possibility of the boss to “enter” in electronic devices in use of the employees.

In Italy there isn’t legislation that specifically regulates the control of social profiles, there is only a ban to investigate on political and religious opinion, trade union, or other areas not relevant for the work. But these don’t create great interest by administrators of the companies.

According to a report of the New York Times, U.S. employees can glimpse in the social network a safe place to express themselves freely and without fear, even if the criticism against the owner. In confirmation of this, the National Labor Relations Board, an agency of the U.S. government that monitors the correctness of industrial relations, has declared itself in favor of workers in the delicate matter of network behaviors by stating, among other things, illegal the restrictions imposed to the use of social media.

So, if on one hand they want restrict the use of social, on the other hand the employee control is often impossible. Many business leaders, given the persistent news of confidential data leakage and corporate espionage, have resorted to special tools for the remote PC control or have installed video surveillance systems able to stem the phenomenon of industrial infidelity and maintain their dignified image even on social networks.

Volkswagen victim of industrial espionage by Chinese partners

volkswagen-175x175The news was spread by the German newspaper, Handelsblatt: the Chinese company FAW, related to Volkswagen through a joint venture, would steal some motor models for replication them on a car to sell not only in China, but also in Russia, going to compete with the same Germans partners.

“It’s really a catastrophe”, said a VW manager. Especially when you consider that China is the largest export market of the German company. Last year alone, Volkswagen has sold about 2.26 million cars there.
Always according to the spokesman of Volkswagen, the Asian country would not be new to this type of thefts of trade secrets: in fact, the China doesn’t allow to the foreigner car manufacturers to produce there, unless, collaboration in joint ventures with internal companies, which must still have the majority.
Who intend to go to sell their cars in China, thinking to find a huge market (as it is), he must also take into account that may be subject to patent theft and industrial espionage that border with business infidelity.

The Germans, for their part have stated that they are analyzing more closely the problem, considering the close relationship of trust between Volkswagen and Faw in the past, they are aware that the problem is widespread.
In any case, the revelation of trade secrets constitutes a huge economic loss for the victim companies; therefore, it requires countermeasures to spy potential unfaithful partners and prevent the disclosure of confidential informations.

A great Spanish food company was able to discover the “traitors”, thanks to bugs hidden in apparently normal packaging and have led to the sunlight a plot that was leading the company adrift, favoring competitors. What will do Volkswagen?

USA, an entrepreneur discovers the unfaithful employee thanks to the competitor company

It happened to an American company of the Alabama. Its unfaithful employee, even in a great working position and well paid, had sent her CV and a letter of introduction to the Office of Human Resources of a competitor company. In it, the disloyal employee wrote that if they had assumed her, she would have revealed their important information about the company in which she worked. Information that could ruin forever that company. As luck would that the human resources manager of competitors is a dear friend of the owner of the company where she worked at that, while kilter to business secrets, warned his friend in time, allowing him to take measures respect to the employee.

I would say that it’s something quite common, but the worrying is that she wrote to be able to have access to trade secrets and business plans that would derail my company, if she had revealed to a competitor – says the entrepreneur victim of betrayal – My first instinct was to dismiss her on Monday morning, but I didn’t want that my friend would end in trouble. I also need of more evidences”.

And those informations were obtained by reading the email that the disloyal employee sent from the office and putting under control the business places with digital audio bugs, which allowed him to listen what she has said on several calls. Confronted with the facts, she couldn’t not confess and she was immediately fired. Who knows if the competitors have decided to assume her, ready to sell confidential information to the highest bidder!