Page 6 - Harassment Investigations Booklet
P. 6
Additional Laws That Necessitate an Effective Investigations Process
Over the last several years, there has been increased visibility of whistleblowers and increased protections and encouragement of external reporting of ethical, financial, and other illegal conduct. An effective investigations process ensures that employee complaints that implicate these laws can be addressed before these issues are investigated by an outside agency. Employees can act as whistleblowers with respect to a number of laws and regulations, including the following:
• Federal securities laws
• Sarbanes-Oxley
• State and federal antidiscrimination laws
• State and federal wage and hour protections
• Health and safety laws
• Federal Contractor Provisions
• Department of Labor
• Environmental protection laws
• State laws
• State common law (wrongful termination against
public policy)
This means it is critical for employers to have mechanisms to uncover and address these issues with its own internal investigations before they become
4 external crises.
