Conducting Workplace Investigations

— Introduction —

In the course of your professional career, you are likely to be in the position of having to direct an internal investigation because of something that has come up that needs to be reviewed and possibly acted upon. The situation or alleged impropriety might be serious enough to eventually warrant the involvement of a governmental or regulatory agency such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the state Human Rights Commission, the Department of Labor, or OSHA. In some cases, the problem might involve criminal wrongdoing, in which case you will have to call in a law enforcement official. Your response directly affects the company as well as the employee, so it might be wise to seek the advice or guidance of the company’s ...