Working in HR or any other department that regularly deals with employee misconduct probably means you’ve seen your fair share of employee investigations. If you work in HR, the chances are even higher. In fact, many Human Resources professionals will go through several employee investigations throughout their career. And if you’re working as an HR professional, you can bet that these numbers will only increase.
In this blog post, we share everything you need to know about preventing employee investigations and what to do when an investigation happens anyway. So read on to learn more about employee investigations and how you can prevent them from happening again!
What is an Employee Investigation?
An employee investigation is a thorough and impartial inquiry into suspicious or illegal activity that may be taking place in a company’s workforce. The goal of the investigation is to reveal the truth and take the appropriate action.
Employee investigations typically happen in companies where there is a risk of fraud or there is a serious breach of policy or regulation.
The Importance of Preventing Employee Investigations
HR plays a central role in preventing employee investigations. The best way to do that is by creating a safe and supportive workplace culture with clear policies and procedures. This will help you avoid policies being broken, which means you won’t have to deal with employee investigations. For example, a workplace culture that promotes open communication and encourages employees to feel comfortable reporting any suspicious activity will greatly reduce the risk of employee investigations.
You’ll want to make sure your policies are easy to find and understand, and that they reflect the company’s values. And policies that are regularly reviewed and updated are even better!
HR Plays a Crucial Role in Employee Investigations
First and foremost, if you’re in HR, you’re primarily concerned with protecting the employees. In many cases, the people being investigated are your co-workers. So you’re definitely in a position where you want to do everything you can to avoid investigations.
Beyond that, if you work in HR, you’re the one who will have to manage any investigations once they start. If you’ve ever watched a TV crime show, you’ll know that investigators will look for clues. They’ll search for information, examine documents, and interview various parties involved to track down evidence that will lead them to their conclusion. The same is true for HR investigations. When you’re dealing with an investigation, you want to ensure you’re leaving no stone unturned.
Strategies to Avoid Employee Investigations
Create a safe and supportive workplace culture - As we’ve already mentioned, one of the best ways to avoid employee investigations is to create a safe and supportive workplace culture. This will allow you to proactively address any issues before they turn into major violations or problems.
Make policies easy to find and understand - Policies are what separate a great workplace from a bad one. If employees don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing and how they’re supposed to do it, they’re likely to break the rules. Make sure all of your policies are easy to find, understand, and accessible. They should be posted on the company intranet and be easily accessible through an online portal for all employees.
Regularly review and update your policies - We’ve already talked about the importance of keeping your policies up to date. Employees are always changing, as are their circumstances. And many times there’s a better way to do something that you may have been doing for years. Regularly review your company policies and find ways to improve them.
Hire the right people - This is often overlooked, but a huge part of preventing employee investigations is hiring the right people. It’s amazing what a new hire can bring to a company. But it’s also amazing how quickly things can go downhill if you hire the wrong person. Make sure you are thorough in your hiring process, and if you find red flags, don’t hire that person!
Conclusions
We all know that being an HR professional comes with its own set of unique challenges. And unfortunately, employee investigations are one of those challenges that comes with the territory.
Employee investigations are often unavoidable, but they don’t have to be unmanageable. By taking preventative action and creating a safe and supportive workplace culture, you can greatly reduce the risk of employee investigations.
For help with your Employee Workplace Investigation in Melbourne or Regional Victoria contact Jolasers Investigations on 0418 101 164
https://vpsc.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Managing-Poor-behaviour-in-the-workplace-version-2.pdf
