Do you own a business or manage any type of organization? If so, you know that in an ideal world, employees would never accuse you or your organization of such forms of misconduct as:
Those are just a few examples of the types of issues employees may cite when filing complaints. The penalties you may face if regulators or law enforcement agencies determine that employee allegations against your organization are valid can be significant.
There are various ways you can defend your business when employees lodge serious complaints. One way is to promptly and thoroughly investigate the matter. An investigation can yield evidence indicating that an employee’s allegations are not based in fact, or as is sometimes the case, it can identify missteps of the employer that can be corrected early.
Strongly consider hiring an employment law attorney who has experience conducting such investigations instead of attempting to investigate these issues on your own. Benefits of doing so include the following:
You must take any employee accusations of misconduct within your organization seriously. However, you cannot abandon your other duties and responsibilities as a manager or business owner. The fact that an employee has lodged a complaint does not mean that your business can come to a halt until the matter is resolved.
Thoroughly investigating such complaints can require a significant time investment. The more time you spend on your investigation, the less time you have to spend focusing on other tasks.
This is not meant to suggest that you shouldn’t dedicate resources to properly investigating an employee’s allegations. Instead, it is meant to highlight one of the major benefits of enlisting the help of a legal professional in these circumstances. If an expert is investigating employee complaints on your behalf, you can strike the balance between the time necessary for the investigation and keeping the day-to-day operations moving forward.
You may be very good at what you do. However, you might not have the training and professional experience necessary to conduct an investigation that addresses the details relevant to potential legal claims.
You can’t leave anything to chance when investigating employee complaints and allegations of misconduct. First interviews and impressions of witnesses, the preservation of documents and things are the most important pieces of any investigation. Failure to conduct a genuinely thorough investigation can prevent you from uncovering the evidence you need to support your defense or resolve a claim early. To ensure your investigation is as thorough as it needs to be, hire an experienced investigator.
While the employment law attorney you hire may technically be working for you, if he/she/they are professional, they will conduct an impartial investigation
It is actually to your benefit when a lawyer does not allow bias to cloud their judgment during an investigation. Your goal is to present the results of your investigation without the risk of being accused of misrepresenting any critical details in an effort to avoid being held accountable.
If an employee makes accusations or files a complaint that requires further investigation, at N. Stotler Law, a Pittsburgh employment law attorney who specializes in handling such matters is prepared to offer the assistance you need. Learn more about how we can help by contacting us online or calling us at 724-841-5565.