Suspicion of Unauthorised Secondary Employment

Almost 40 percent of Hanover’s residents hold a general university entrance qualification (Lower Saxony average = 30.5 percent). More than 40,000 students currently attend vocational and technical schools, primarily training for professions in business, administration and technology. At Hanover’s nine universities, the main fields of study are mechanical engineering, economics, civil engineering, electrical engineering and medicine. The region has successfully transformed from an industrial economy into a knowledge-based economy and established itself accordingly. Many of its highly qualified professionals are in strong demand on the labour market and can choose their employer relatively freely due to their expertise. As a result, illegal poaching of skilled employees occurs time and again.

 

If you suspect that one or more of your employees are engaging in secondary employment without permission or despite an explicit prohibition, the IHK-certified detectives of Kurtz Investigations Hanover are your contacts for obtaining proof: +49 511 2028 0016.

Conflicts of Interest in Secondary Employment

In principle, every German citizen is free to pursue secondary employment during their leisure time. However, employment contracts often at least stipulate an obligation to inform the employer when taking up additional work. The situation becomes problematic when the secondary job creates a conflict of interest. This is the case if the employee works for a competing company or if the legally permitted maximum weekly working hours are regularly exceeded. It is also generally not permitted to engage in secondary employment during holiday leave. This time is intended for rest and recuperation and serves, among other things, to prevent a decline in performance due to excessive workload.

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Holiday leave is intended for recovery. Those who never switch off expose themselves to constant strain, which rarely ends well in the long term. Illnesses such as burnout syndrome may result and ultimately lead to absences from the workplace.

Violation of Non-Compete Obligations

The matter becomes particularly serious when a secondary occupation is not only unauthorised but carried out with a direct competitor of the primary employer. In such cases, the employee not only supports the competition by providing labour and expertise, but there is always a risk that internal company information will be disclosed. In the worst case, this may involve sensitive data concerning new technological developments. We are then speaking of breaches of confidentiality and corporate espionage. Unauthorised activities are often even performed off the books – using your clients and your materials. The financial damage to your company can be substantial.

 

The detectives of our Hanover-based economic investigation agency monitor your employee and provide court-admissible evidence. Should the suspicion be confirmed, the employee is generally liable for damages. Reclaim what is rightfully yours. Kurtz Investigations Hanover assists you: +49 511 2028 0016.