Aussie employers hiring PIs to catch WFH cheats - as one investigator reveals how to NOT get caught

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:28, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 01:28, 8 June 2026 More Australian employers are spying on staff who work from home since the practice became the norm due to Covid. The pandemic changed the way many Aussies work and most jobs now have an option to work a day or two per week from home. But the luxury has led to some workers taking advantage of the situation and doing less work, or none at all, while their boss can't supervise them. Private investigator Amy Elliott, who runs National Inquiry Agency (NIA), told Daily Mail that since the pandemic, she's been asked to spy on workers. 'They (employers) want to make sure they're actually working from home,' Ms Elliott said. 'An employer will ask us if they're working from home with an hour break. They ask us if they're actually doing that or if they're going out or maybe working at a café. 'They want to know what they're doing. They want to know if they're logging on when they're supposed to or if they're out shopping.' Working from home and hybrid models have become a permanent fixture in the labour market, with nearly half (46 per cent) of the 6.7 million employed Australians working from home some of the time. Private investigator Amy Elliott says she's been asked to spy on workers Some employees are heading off to cafes to work Ms Elliott said she and other investigators use simple techniques to find out if a worker is doing the right thing. 'It's quite easy to confirm,' she said. 'It's all within the confines of the law, in terms of the surveillance. If we're just confirming that they are where they are during the course of a day, then the employer is usually happy. 'It's usually just a quick door knock. Sometimes we don't even do that. We just check if their car is there or if there's movement in the house. We can tell all that just by walking by. 'If I've got their mobile number and it's not on silent I'll ring it from a burner number. I can hear it from inside the house.' Ms Elliott said most employees were doing the right thing while some are taking advantage of working from home by running errands or doing a spot of shopping while on the job. Investigators can gather evidence that helps employers justify terminating a worker.  Ms Elliott said the worst examples of employees doing the wrong things were mostly in the workers compensation space where they say they can't work but they're out playing sport or hanging out with friends. Investigators can easily find out if a worker is doing the right thing while working from home A simple door knock can let investigators know if an employee is working from home 'I followed one person for eight hours while they played multiple holes (of golf) and was drinking and socialising,' she said. 'I had a case where one person said they had cancer and needed sick days and flexibility to go and get medical treatment. 'I found out that it was a lie. She didn't have cancer. Her ex-boyfriend told me she was lying to them and was moonlighting as a personal trainer in a gym.' The top industries for remote work include finance and insurance (66 per cent), communications (61 per cent), property and business services (57 per cent), and public administration (56 per cent).   Ms Elliott told Daily Mail that there were some ways to avoid PIs and safeguard your privacy. 'If you're saying you're working from home and you don't want your employer to know your movements you should put your car in your garage,' she said. 'If you want to go out to a café and don't want to be followed, leave your home before 9am. Get out early. 'The thing I will disclose, which is what surveillance officers do, most of our surveillance times start at 6am, so if you leave the house at 6am and you're a white-collar worker we're likely not to catch you. 'If you're a tradie we'll sit there at 4.30am, so you're going to have to get up even earlier to beat us.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.