Our Committment: Know Your Business.
Know the Law. No Surprises.
Michigan employers are routinely confronted with issues and incidents that require workplace investigations. Reasons for a investigating workplace conduct range from allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment, misuse of computers and Internet, financial wrongdoings, trade secret misappropriation, to alleged misconduct that may become the subject of criminal proceedings.
Employers cannot afford to roll the dice when it comes to investigating workplace misconduct because if an employer does not have a full understanding of the facts then its decision making may be challenged and can expose the employer to significant liability.
But in order to make the the most informed and best decisions in response to workplace misconduct depends upon the quality of the investigation that has been conducted. And conducting an effective investigation - even for seasoned human resource professionals - can be difficult because of the complexity of the modern workplace in terms of technology and number of employee rights, both of which create unanticipated issues and uncertainties.
We routinely collaborate with employers to investigate workplace incidents and allegations of misconduct. We have led investigations that involve everyday employment issues such as harassment and discrimination complaints to those that include potentially serious state and federal crimes. Examples include computer crimes, possession of child pornography, embezzlement, fraud, and trade secret theft. We have also assisted employers to respond to and conduct internal company investigations that involved actions that were simultaneously being investigated by local law enforcement as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Additionally, we use industry leading software to efficiently and effectively investigate computer files, hard drives, emails and other digital evidence. Such digital evidence has proven invaluable for purposes of investigating workplace misconduct, establishg evidence for denying unemployment claims, and potential theft of company information and trade secrets. Our ability to process such computer evidence in a timely and cost-effective manner is important for many reasons, but two stand out: (i) From the beginning employers are in a position to evaluate the facts and circumstances of a particular workplace incident in order to make the best decisions going forward; and (ii) We are able to conduct a comprehensive investigation for a flat fee, which eliminates expensive surprises in terms of attorney fees and consuming the time and resources of your employees and IT professionals.
We also provide training and best practices to HR professionals for conducting employee investigations, conducting interviews, writing investigation reports, and we routinely write about these topics on our Blog, the Michigan Employment Law Advisor.