Extract from Brian Schrader’s article “Corporate Internal Investigations: Understanding the Basics”
What is a corporate internal investigation?
Corporate internal investigations fill more and more headlines in our modern world of non-stop news and social media, and thus, have come under more scrutiny than ever before. Whether addressing a public gaff, an internal harassment complaint, a sensitive employee exit, or other general suspicious activity, the legal and reputational results of an improperly run internal investigation can be devastating to an organization’s persona.
Conducting an effective and efficient internal investigation requires that your organization have a plan and process in place before the need for an investigation arises. Not only does this show that the organization takes the relevant issues seriously, but it helps the facts, analyses, and conclusions reached during the investigation withstand legal scrutiny later on.
Who is involved in a corporate internal investigation and what are their roles?
Long before your first internal investigation need arises, it’s important to consider and identify who will lead the investigation effort.Â
