Booming business - the professional exploitation of inappropriate behaviour on the work floor

• In Event: Euroc - Reporting, investigating and prosecuting crimes

Abstract

While the involvement of professional investigators in the investigation of all types of behaviour (mostly with a financial component) is not a novelty, public attention for the phenomenon of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ has grown significantly since the start of the #MeToo movement. In the Netherlands, this has culminated in a number of cases of private investigations into what has in the Dutch context become known as ‘transgressive behaviour’. ‘Inappropriate’ or ‘transgressive’ behaviour spans a wide variety of more and less serious unwanted behaviours, some of which are criminal and some are not.
Much is still unknown about the professionals who investigate these behaviours. In addition to more traditional, established private investigators such as private investigation firms and forensic accountants, it seems that a myriad of ‘integrity experts’ are involved in the prevention and investigation of possible inappropriate behaviour by employees. Empirical knowledge is lacking on questions such as who these actors are, whether they are (or should be) regulated under traditional forms of private investigations regulation, which activities they develop, or what their part is in the investigation and prevention of inappropriate behaviour.
The subjective and fluid nature of the norm that is or is not broken, and the precarious situation in which the victim of the inappropriate behaviour finds her- or himself, make the investigation into this behaviour challenging. It is therefore useful to examine whether professional (mostly financial) investigators and others who are involved in these investigations, are well suited to investigate. Furthermore, it is important to critically assess the role private (commercial) actors (should) play in the investigation of inappropriate behaviour.
The above is discussed in this presentation, focusing on the Dutch ‘integrity industry’.

Author

• Clarissa Meerts, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam