A couple of weeks ago, I read about a disturbing trend. Apparently some companies have started hiring private investigators to determine if employees who are using sick days, are, in fact, sick.First, I'd be curious to know the cost associated with enlisting the services of a detective vs. the cost of a sick employee's lost time. Is there really that big a difference?More importantly, here's a hint: if your employees are abusing sick leave, you've probably got a larger problem on your hands. And whatever problems you have, you certainly aren't going to make them better by siccing (sorry, couldn't help it) the Sick Day Police on employees to spy on them when they're not at work.Here's a better idea. If you suspect an employee is using sick days but isn't really sick, having a conversation with them is a good place to start. And if you have a company-wide problem on your hands, maybe it's time to take a good, hard look at employee morale and what may be going on beneath the surface of your organization. Addressing the root cause is guaranteed to produce better long-term results than stalking your employees when they're not on the job.