I'm a simple emigrant and I'll tell you about the scandal with Lidl

In 2008 Lidl – one of the largest networks of inexpensive supermarkets in Germany – secretly monitored its employees without their knowledge or consent, which put it at the center of a loud scandal across the country. It all began when anonymous complaints from Lidl employees started arriving at the editorial office of Stern magazine. They said that cameras were installed in warehouses and stores, tracking literally every step of the employees. Stern published an article, where it described these practices in detail and raised the alarm. Public reaction did not take long. Workers complained of stress and pressure, tried to boycott the store, and customers wrestled with a moral dilemma: shop cheaply near home or make life harder, but still not bring their money into Lidl's lair. Surprisingly, I know a person who still doesn't shop at Lidl because of this story. People compared them to Scientologists or even the Stasi, which was very biting and resonant among Germans. The investigation lasted several months: journalists checked documents, spoke with workers, experts analyzed the situation. It turned out that Lidl used secret video surveillance: they spied on employees even in bathrooms, and listened to personal phone conversations. In addition to all this, Lidl hired detectives. The employer literally knew when and whose period it was, who they were friends with, and a full profile of each employee's surroundings. According to them this was to prevent theft, identify dishonest truancies and basically any “suspicious” moments. Employee consent, of course, was never asked. It's understandable; I doubt anyone would have agreed. Various federal and state authorities and even the Interior Ministry launched extensive checks. As a result they found hundreds of pages of protocols on workers at 200 branches across the country and even in the Czech Republic. Lidl initially tried to justify itself, saying it was needed for safety and for optimizing operations and that all their methods were legal. But that's not the case. Such surveillance violates the German Constitution. Later, when management had no choice left, it admitted and publicly apologized for its methods. But apologies alone were not enough. Lidl paid fines totaling €1.5 million, fired several employees, including the German executive director Frank-Michael Mroß, and, of course, dismantled all its spying gadgets. And to everyone mentioned in the protocols, Lidl paid €300 in compensation, apparently enough for one and a half therapy sessions. Most importantly, following this case, data-protection and employee-surveillance laws were tightened. So data-protection laws are indeed a good thing after all, right, as often happens the idea is great but the execution is problematic. And what do you think? #work #history #Ordnung