Ikea executives in France provided private detectives with social security numbers, personal cell numbers, and other personal information so that they could determine whether or not hundreds of employees and customers statements to the company were true. The claims investigated job applicants, claims against employees, claims of faulty products or service brought by customers, employees on a medical leave of absence, and much more. An investigation, which began last year, of the finance department shows that Ikea France spent more than 475,000 Euros on investigators. A regional court in Versailles is currently determining whether the company?s actions broke French law and if so, how much the potential liability would be for what constituents.
See "Revelations That Ikea Spied on Its Employees Stir Outrage in France", Nicola Clark, The New York Times, December 15, 2013