Author: Meric Craig Bloch

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2008-03-01

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 9781436310031

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The trust of a company by its customers is one of the most important ingredients in a company's success. Central to that trust is the company's ability to effectively police itself. Another foundation of success is conducting internal investigations and imposing discipline in a manner that employees find trustworthy and consistent with its values. But what happens when someone reports an incident of actual or potential employee misconduct? Does the company respond to the report to investigate it, remedy it or learn from it? Is the responsibility to investigate the report delegated ad hoc to a human resources manager or in-house attorney to resolve in addition to their regular duties? A robust investigations process is not about good corporate citizenship. Investigations furnish knowledge. The process of knowledge management determines what we know about our company's risks and influences how that information can be applied. This information lets a company manage risk effectively. The products of the investigative process should be a practical and personal piece of advice to executive management. The investigation goal must be to prevent future damage to the company by using investigation findings as a form of organizational intelligence -- rather than rebuilding it after the damage is done. The economics of capitalism and private enterprise favor risk taking. But the only way to accept a risk is if that decision is an informed one. A company must maximize its business success while eliminating or reducing unacceptable legal and financial risks. Identifying and addressing those risks through investigations places the process squarely within the business' fundamental purpose. So why doesn't every company adopt this approach? It may be that they think the company does not have the time, personnel and resources to conduct investigations in an organized manner. Executive management may think that the value of the investigation is limited to substantiating the misconduct of a single employee, and that the business leaders are already certain of his guilt. It may also be to "let sleeping dogs lie," and ignore problems that are known to exist but which are seen as too disruptive and costly to fix. It may be a lack of imagination to see the value. It may be that they are intoxicated by their own high-minded ethics message to consider anything else. True, many companies have historically staffed corporate-security departments or hired lawyers to look into allegations of wrongdoing, but these are not business processes with a focus on corporate counseling. There is a world of difference when you use the investigation process as a way to improve business processes and as a risk-management tool than if you think small and use it only as a way to prove that a discrete act of misconduct occurred. A business case with its own value proposition can be made for a workplace investigations unit. A properly prepared and executed investigation gives the business an advantage. Risks are identified and addressed. Dishonest employees are caught. Restitution can be attempted. But to do this, you need to know how to embed the workplace investigations unit in your company's culture and this applies even to those professionals in human resources and legal departments who freelance investigations as a business process. The ultimate value of a workplace investigations unit depends on its seamless integration in the business. The smoother the practice blends into the business routine, the easier it is to sustain. This book examines management techniques and processes to create a workplace investigations unit. It is intended as a guide for building and running a successful and valuable corporate resource. Attention is also directed to establishing investigative protocols and practices that will survive the scrutiny of business leaders

Download or read book An Insider's Guide to Workplace Investigations written by Meric Craig Bloch and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2008-03-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The trust of a company by its customers is one of the most important ingredients in a company's success. Central to that trust is the company's ability to effectively police itself. Another foundation of success is conducting internal investigations and imposing discipline in a manner that employees find trustworthy and consistent with its values. But what happens when someone reports an incident of actual or potential employee misconduct? Does the company respond to the report to investigate it, remedy it or learn from it? Is the responsibility to investigate the report delegated ad hoc to a human resources manager or in-house attorney to resolve in addition to their regular duties? A robust investigations process is not about good corporate citizenship. Investigations furnish knowledge. The process of knowledge management determines what we know about our company's risks and influences how that information can be applied. This information lets a company manage risk effectively. The products of the investigative process should be a practical and personal piece of advice to executive management. The investigation goal must be to prevent future damage to the company by using investigation findings as a form of organizational intelligence -- rather than rebuilding it after the damage is done. The economics of capitalism and private enterprise favor risk taking. But the only way to accept a risk is if that decision is an informed one. A company must maximize its business success while eliminating or reducing unacceptable legal and financial risks. Identifying and addressing those risks through investigations places the process squarely within the business' fundamental purpose. So why doesn't every company adopt this approach? It may be that they think the company does not have the time, personnel and resources to conduct investigations in an organized manner. Executive management may think that the value of the investigation is limited to substantiating the misconduct of a single employee, and that the business leaders are already certain of his guilt. It may also be to "let sleeping dogs lie," and ignore problems that are known to exist but which are seen as too disruptive and costly to fix. It may be a lack of imagination to see the value. It may be that they are intoxicated by their own high-minded ethics message to consider anything else. True, many companies have historically staffed corporate-security departments or hired lawyers to look into allegations of wrongdoing, but these are not business processes with a focus on corporate counseling. There is a world of difference when you use the investigation process as a way to improve business processes and as a risk-management tool than if you think small and use it only as a way to prove that a discrete act of misconduct occurred. A business case with its own value proposition can be made for a workplace investigations unit. A properly prepared and executed investigation gives the business an advantage. Risks are identified and addressed. Dishonest employees are caught. Restitution can be attempted. But to do this, you need to know how to embed the workplace investigations unit in your company's culture and this applies even to those professionals in human resources and legal departments who freelance investigations as a business process. The ultimate value of a workplace investigations unit depends on its seamless integration in the business. The smoother the practice blends into the business routine, the easier it is to sustain. This book examines management techniques and processes to create a workplace investigations unit. It is intended as a guide for building and running a successful and valuable corporate resource. Attention is also directed to establishing investigative protocols and practices that will survive the scrutiny of business leaders