How to Investigate Workplace Misconduct

Sep 15, 2016 | Corporate Investigation, Surveillance

Employees actions are not always positive in the workplace, where some actions may be labeled as workplace misconduct. If an employer is suspicious of workplace misconduct, the employee may get a warning, or if it is serious enough, hire a private investigator. Misconduct can range from excessive absences and insubordination to rudeness and theft. Catching an employee in the act of misconduct can be challenging, which is why these cases often need special surveillance by a corporate investigator.

 

  1. Deciding to Investigate – Before taking serious action, decide whether it is necessary to investigate. You may just need to talk to your employee to sort thing out and it won’t happen again. If the action is minor, than it is usually better not to conduct an investigation. However, if the action is serious, further workplace problems can be caused and avoiding solving this problem can lead to legal trouble.

  2. If necessary, act right away – If an instance can lead to your business being harmed then you need to take immediate action. Serious violations such as sexual assault, stealing trade secrets, or having weapons at work should all lead to suspension from work until the problem is investigated by a professional. An outside investigator would be the perfect person to handle this matter.

  3. Find an Investigator – Find an investigator who has good reviews and follows by the rules. You do not want to be getting in legal trouble for invading someone’s privacy, so go with an experienced investigator. You also should look for an investigator willing to go to court, if the case goes this far.

  4. Review your Information before seeing the Investigator – Make sure to take time to plan what you are going to say and show to the investigator. Gather documents, written warnings, employee complaints, a boss’ report, etc. You also want to include any witnesses of this event or additional documents employees might have. You will need all of the evidence you can get your hands on for a good case.

  5. Ask Employees Questions – By gathering questions from your employees, you will get more information that you need. You may also be able to figure out which employee is lying and which is telling the truth. You want to figure out motives, and whose story seems the most accurate. Sometimes, with different parties involved, it is hard to tell what actually happened.

  6. Gather information – Investigations rely on more than word of mouth from employees. You will need some kind of evidence such as video surveillance, or something written (like an email) that proves the person’s wrongdoing. Some evidence needed while be stolen items, photos, drugs, weapons, etc.

  7. Evaluate Any Evidence – Figuring out who is right and who is wrong is the toughest part of solving any case. Without evidence, you cannot just blame an employee for something done wrong. In some cases, even if you have evidence from employees it will not be enough to prove someone was wrong. In this case, you may need to hire a private investigator.

  8. Decide whether to take action – Once you have the evidence it is crucial to decide whether to follow up with the case or not. If it is a serious act, than you should take immediate disciplinary action to avoid legal action against your business. Consider how you have handled issues in the past like these to determine what you will do in an event like this.

  9. Record Your Investigation – Having a documentation of your investigation for records is crucial. It tells what happened during the investigation, and why you needed to conduct the investigation. This documentation can help from future lawsuits and has records of misconduct against the employee if it happens again in the future.

  1. Check Back to See if the problem is solved – Checking back with employees after the investigation is a good way to see if the problems are solved. The person accused of misconduct may have to take a course to prevent future destructive behavior. To ensure the misconduct has stopped, training may be necessary.

So if you are in need of a private investigator and suspect workplace misconduct, contact us today! Both employees and employers should feel comfortable in the workplace, and if anyone is disrupting that level of comfort, it needs to be addressed. With our help, we will be sure to get this case settled, and get your company back to the way it should be!