Bond Rees Reports Sharp Rise in Malicious Employee Activity as Businesses Turn to Surveillance Services to Protect Themselves

London, UK – Bond Rees, the UK's leading private investigations and corporate intelligence agency, is warning UK businesses of a significant and accelerating rise in malicious activity carried out by former employees and those currently serving notice periods on gardening leave. The agency has reported a marked increase in the number of businesses commissioning surveillance and intelligence services to investigate suspected misconduct — spanning theft of physical assets, financial fraud, the misappropriation of sensitive data, and the deliberate sharing of confidential commercial information with direct competitors.

"The period surrounding an employee's departure from a business is one of the highest-risk windows any organisation will face," said Aaron Bond, director of Bond Rees. "Whether it is someone who has resigned to join a rival, an individual dismissed under difficult circumstances, or a member of staff serving out a gardening leave period, the potential for malicious or damaging behaviour during this time is considerable — and in our experience, it is being exploited far more frequently than most employers realise."

The scale of the threat is supported by a growing body of research. According to the Ponemon Institute, 69% of employees admit to taking company data when leaving a job, while a report by Tessian found that employees are three times more likely to exfiltrate sensitive data in the 90 days leading up to their resignation or departure. Separately, research published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) highlights that unresolved grievances and perceived unfair treatment during the exit process are among the most common triggers for retaliatory behaviour by departing staff.

The cases Bond Rees has been called upon to investigate reflect the full breadth of this threat. At one end of the spectrum, businesses have reported relatively contained incidents — the removal of client contact lists, the forwarding of proprietary documents to personal email accounts, or the downloading of sensitive files to external storage devices in the days before a departure. At the more serious end, the agency has uncovered cases involving sustained campaigns of deliberate sabotage, the active recruitment of remaining staff on behalf of a new employer, and the systematic passing of commercially sensitive intelligence — including pricing structures, pipeline data, and strategic plans — directly to competing businesses.

Employees on gardening leave present a particular and often underappreciated challenge. While legally bound by their contract and typically subject to restrictive covenants, individuals in this position frequently retain access to professional networks, former clients, and in some cases residual access to business systems — creating significant opportunity for misconduct that can be difficult to detect without specialist investigation.

"Gardening leave is often treated as a clean administrative solution — the employee is paid, they stay away, and the business moves on," Bond explained. "In reality, without proper monitoring and investigation where there is cause for concern, businesses are frequently exposed to activities they have no visibility of whatsoever. We have investigated cases where individuals on gardening leave were actively working for a competitor, building client relationships on their new employer's behalf, and sharing intelligence that caused very real and measurable commercial harm."

In response to the volume and seriousness of cases being reported, Bond Rees has significantly expanded its employee and post-employment surveillance capability. The agency deploys a range of investigative techniques to build a comprehensive and legally admissible evidence file — including covert physical surveillance to document activities and associations during working hours, open-source and digital intelligence gathering to identify undisclosed employment relationships or business activity, and forensic-level examination of data usage patterns where a client holds the appropriate authorisation to investigate company devices.

Where theft of physical assets or stock is suspected, Bond Rees investigators work alongside the business to conduct discreet surveillance of relevant premises, vehicles, or personnel to capture evidence of removal or misappropriation. In cases involving suspected fraud, the agency's financial investigation specialists conduct thorough background and transaction analysis to identify irregularities and trace the movement of funds or assets.

"One of the most damaging aspects of this kind of misconduct is that it often goes undetected for months," Bond noted. "By the time a business realises what has happened — that a key client has been poached, that a competitor has launched a product uncannily similar to their own, or that their pricing has been systematically undercut — the damage is already substantial. Early investigation, triggered at the point of suspicion rather than the point of confirmation, is almost always more effective."

Bond Rees also advises businesses to review their contractual protections, data access controls, and offboarding procedures as a matter of priority — not simply in response to a specific concern, but as a baseline measure given the current climate. The agency notes that robust restrictive covenants, properly enforced and supported by surveillance evidence where necessary, have proven to be among the most effective tools available to businesses seeking injunctive relief through the courts.

"Documentation and evidence are everything when it comes to taking legal action against a former employee," Bond added. "Good intentions and suspicions do not hold up in tribunal or in court — hard evidence does. That is precisely what our investigators are trained to gather, and the businesses we work with consistently tell us that having that evidence changes everything in terms of the options available to them."

Bond Rees is urging any business that suspects current or former employees of acting maliciously — whether during their notice period, on gardening leave, or following their departure — to seek specialist investigative advice without delay.

For more information about the employee surveillance and post-employment investigation services offered by Bond Rees, visit www.bondrees.com or call 0800 002 9468.

About Bond Rees Bond Rees is the UK's leading private investigations and corporate intelligence agency, with a nationwide network of experienced investigators. The agency specialises in delivering actionable intelligence and evidence for individuals, law firms, and businesses, with a reputation built on discretion, professionalism, and results.

Press Contact:

Aaron Bond
bondrees@gmail.com
0800 002 9468
https://www.bondrees ...

News Release: Bond Rees Reports Sharp Rise in Malicious Employee Activity as Businesses Turn to Surveillance Services to Protect Themselves
Submitted on: April 22, 2026 10:43:27 AM
Submitted by: Aaron Bond
On behalf of: www.google.com