Thursday 16 April 2015

Investigation – Should be Must & Should

Nowadays, numerous disagreements and disputes take place in the workplace quite frequently. Eventually every employer faces an utmost need to investigate its employees at some point of time or the other. This is an important aspect of disciplinary process in the workplace. Employers have now recognized workplace investigation as a crucial tool in identifying the problems, understanding those and hence avoiding their reoccurrence.

Evidence Recovery

There are various problems that can lead an employer to conduct an investigation on its employee. Before starting any, it is required to have effective procedures and policies clearly defined. This not only helps to avoid mishandled investigation but also helps in conducting much faster and efficient investigation. The most common reasons justifying why companies investigate employees’ are-

1. Breach of company`s policies
2. Formal Misconduct complaints
3. Discrimination complaints
4. Vandalism
5. Safety problems
6. Attitude problems
7. Workplace theft
8. Substance abuse

Every workplace investigation requires certain process to be followed in a disciplinary manner to prevent it from turning into a disaster. A shoddily conducted investigation can not only negatively affect the company financially but can also harm its reputation. Before starting off with the investigation, a careful decision should be made whether it should be carried out or not. Defining the objective, choosing correct investigator, collecting evidence, interrogating the relevant parties and accurate documentation ensures that you have started off on the right foot.

These days, violation of company`s email and internet policy is considered as uncultured and unacceptable. It is sometimes not possible for a business owner to monitor and track such activities of employees. This is when role of professional investigators come into picture. They can be hired by a company to keep check on employee`s communication systems i.e. mails, internet, telephone calls etc. Hiring a reputed evidence recovery company can be tough decision sometimes for business houses. A background verification check should be done before hiring any firm. The latest modern technology has aided the investigators by providing cutting edge gadgets for gathering truthful information. The debugging technology, GPS technology, smart camera surveillance systems, computer forensics, theft detection powder etc has taken workplace investigation to a whole new different level.

Although approach of every organization to investigation is different, it should close with an effective solution. The main focus should be on understanding the problem in depth and adopting best practices to avoid any future occurrence. Every investigation should be able to provide truthful findings, reliable documents and facts on basis of which management can take a firm and fair decision.

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