Part of me wants to shake this bloke's hand...

Ben6899

https://bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56822571

pblakeney

Did well that fella.
Until he was caught.

nibnob21

Saw that yesterday, pretty impressive really but soured that it's money from the taxpayer. Would prefer the story if it was an employee who works for, let's say Murdoch, or *insert censored wealthy person here*.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've not bothered googling since reading that story yesterday, but I'm certain a very similar story hit the headlines in the last couple of decades. I suppose it's even more incredible now technology and "Big Brother" has generally moved on.

elbowloh

Wonder how much of a mafia aspect is behind this? It's mentioned in the article but doesn't really explain what their involvement was.

Ben6899

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

I've not bothered googling since reading that story yesterday, but I'm certain a very similar story hit the headlines in the last couple of decades. I suppose it's even more incredible now technology and "Big Brother" has generally moved on.

There was a Spanish guy who managed six years... came to light when he was up for a long service award.

Pross

I had a site once where the Council had a self-employed person on a temporary, full time contract as an inspector. No-one seemed to be able to get him to site and after several months it turned out he had another full time job that he was doing whilst claiming his contract payment from the Council.

Ben6899

Pross said:

I had a site once where the Council had a self-employed person on a temporary, full time contract as an inspector. No-one seemed to be able to get him to site and after several months it turned out he had another full time job that he was doing whilst claiming his contract payment from the Council.

I once had a full-time, EMPLOYED colleague who was working two jobs. Both 37.5hr weeks in consultancy.

Onegear

elbowloh said:

Wonder how much of a mafia aspect is behind this? It's mentioned in the article but doesn't really explain what their involvement was.

Was thinking the same thing since he threatened the whistleblower who promptly retired afterwards.

Real shame for the taxpayer and erodes trust in local government

shirley_basso

We are talking about Italy here....

daniel_b

elbowloh said:

Wonder how much of a mafia aspect is behind this? It's mentioned in the article but doesn't really explain what their involvement was.

I see no mention, have they edited it since, or are you reading between the lines?

Onegear

shirley_basso said:

We are talking about Italy here....

Im sure the German media are having a field day

singleton

Ben6899 said:

Pross said:

I had a site once where the Council had a self-employed person on a temporary, full time contract as an inspector. No-one seemed to be able to get him to site and after several months it turned out he had another full time job that he was doing whilst claiming his contract payment from the Council.

I once had a full-time, EMPLOYED colleague who was working two jobs. Both 37.5hr weeks in consultancy.

I've seen that a few times before - sales reps who only need to be in the office for 1 day per week in all cases.

surrey_commuter

we worked with a bloke who we became convinced that he was doing viewings for a nearby estate agency as he would regularly leave the building for 20-30 mins. After a low tech but very covert surveillance operation it was ascertained that he was blowing his hard earned in a local bookie

Ben6899

singleton said:

Ben6899 said:

Pross said:

I had a site once where the Council had a self-employed person on a temporary, full time contract as an inspector. No-one seemed to be able to get him to site and after several months it turned out he had another full time job that he was doing whilst claiming his contract payment from the Council.

I once had a full-time, EMPLOYED colleague who was working two jobs. Both 37.5hr weeks in consultancy.

I've seen that a few times before - sales reps who only need to be in the office for 1 day per week in all cases.

I can see how someone would expect to get away with it, in that scenario. Our job (and his other) was very much 7.5hr/day, at your desk.

I don't need to tell you that he only managed to pull it off for just less than a month.

laurentian

A guy who used to work where I did did a job that involved a lot of heavy lifting (going back 30 years or more). He was off on full pay with a "bad back" substantiated with doctors notes. When he was called in for an interview / update on being off for so long, he maintained that he was unable to work due to his bad back until shown a video that had been covertly taken of him unloading and laying paving slabs. He returned to work on Monday.

Ben6899

I'm now thinking back over the years and some of the things that colleagues have done... blimey there are some proper anecdotes.

TheBigBean

laurentian said:

A guy who used to work where I did did a job that involved a lot of heavy lifting (going back 30 years or more). He was off on full pay with a "bad back" substantiated with doctors notes. When he was called in for an interview / update on being off for so long, he maintained that he was unable to work due to his bad back until shown a video that had been covertly taken of him unloading and laying paving slabs. He returned to work on Monday.

In terms of expected probability of returning to work, people who have been on some form of "can't work" benefit are less likely than recently released prisoners. So, you did well getting him back to work the following week.

rick_chasey

surrey_commuter said:

we worked with a bloke who we became convinced that he was doing viewings for a nearby estate agency as he would regularly leave the building for 20-30 mins. After a low tech but very covert surveillance operation it was ascertained that he was blowing his hard earned in a local bookie

I had a few run ins with a very long-standing PA of a business, who was getting increasingly aggressive. She would tell silence-the-room stories about drinking so much she would blank out.

Anyway, walked past the local pub on my way to a 10am meeting and through the door I saw her at the bar necking a big glass of red, with another lined up.

Ben6899

The global consultancy I worked for, back in the day, owned a smallish property management consultancy which was divested and I'm not sure it still exists (if you've figured out what I do for a living, there's chance you can put two and two together here to get to both consultancies).

My colleague's girlfriend worked for the property company and was being - basically - sexually harassed by one of the "agents". Five o'clock one day, they leave together, and it turns out she tells him as they're about 30seconds outside the building.

Bit of a hot-head, my colleague.

He walks back into the office, straight through to the rear wing as we all watch, hits this guy with a proper cow-tailer and knocks him off his chair. Turns round and walks out.

No management in the office and nothing ever said about it.

Professionals.

MattFalle

Ben6899 said:

https://bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56822571

i know blokes who have been here 24 years and done less work than he has.