Would your business benefit from the support of professional investigators to mitigate the risk of violence and threats in the workplace? The answer to that question might surprise you.
When we imagine the role of the corporate PI, we might imagine them investigating a seedy manager accused of sexual harassment or a spate of thefts in a retail setting. However, one of the most valuable places to which an investigator might turn their attention is in fact prevention. When the same expertise and diligence is focused toward preventing criminality as would be to investigate it, harm can often be prevented altogether.
When it comes to workplace violence specifically, American businesses are thought to lose an average of $250 to $330 billion every year in fall-out—and that most likely doesn’t represent the full picture, given that one in four incidents of workplace violence goes entirely unreported. So how can we assist as you strive to keep your employees safe? Read on as we cover the strategies used by corporate investigators to keep workplaces thriving.
Your Responsibility to Prevent Workplace Violence
Before delving into how a corporate investigator from Lauth Investigations International can serve your business in threat prevention, it is vital to first understand your responsibility as an employer or individual responsible for human resources oversight. For any employer, common law principles apply in this area, including a responsibility to guard against discrimination and harassment, to avoid negligence in hiring and retention, through premises safety liability, and ultimately as respondent superior whenever an incident occurs.
Statistics suggest that as many as 90% of American organizations do not comply with federal OSHA reporting and recordkeeping regulations. This becomes problematic when we consider that OHSA states that “employers may be found in violation of the General Duty Clause if they fail to reduce or eliminate serious recognized hazards. Under this Instruction, inspectors should therefore gather evidence to demonstrate whether an employer recognized, either individually or through its industry, the existence of a potential workplace violence hazard affecting his or her employees. Furthermore, investigations should focus on whether feasible means of preventing or minimizing such hazards were available to employers.”
How Specialist Corporate Investigators Can Help You Meet Obligations
In an era that sees 62% of American companies perceive an active shooter as a top threat, knowing where to begin with prevention can seem intimidating. For most organizations, seeking external guidance is the best possible strategy—ensuring effective safeguards and an added layer of defense against possible litigation. To make your enterprise a hard target for would-be perpetrators, professional and licensed investigators can:
- Carry out in-depth background checks on all new employees, accessing many of the same databases used by law enforcement
- Conduct https://lauthinveststg.wpengine.com/corporate-culture-audit/ to weed out toxicity in the workplace, reducing the risk of workplace violence, theft, discrimination, fraud, malingering, and more
- Perform a threat and violence risk assessment, identifying physical and procedural weak points in your company’s infrastructure
- Provide a deterrent presence and framework guidance for the enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy on workplace violence
- Support effective an legally air-tight workplace investigations, creating a safer work environment for your team while protecting your brand’s reputation
Ultimately, as an HR professional or leader driving excellence, your primary goal is to drive the progress and prosperity of your business. This makes seeking expert support for safety in the workplace and strong corporate culture a savvy strategy—allowing you to continue focusing on what you do best.
If you would like to discuss tailored solutions to suit the size, nature, and current standing of your enterprise, the corporate team at Lauth Investigations International is here to help. For a no-obligation consultation on how we can support you in effectively combating workplace violence and more, get in touch today.