As the MeToo movement proved, companies are challenged to investigate and root out sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. Given the sensitive and often far-reaching nature of these probes, more firms are turning to Insite for its full suite of forensic tools and investigative expertise. A major asset manager was contacted by a woman outside its organization alleging sexual misconduct by one of its executives with back-office responsibilities. Concerned that this person may have used his influential position to harass other women, our client engaged Insite to probe more deeply into his activities.

 

We conducted interviews with co-workers and gathered both forensic and physical evidence. Our search revealed that the executive had harassed part-time female employees under his supervision via social media and had allowed staff members to shirk their on-the-job responsibilities. We also discovered that he had used online resources to track the woman whose allegations led to his dismissal.

 

Our in-depth audit of the executive’s online and offline activities revealed a long-standing pattern of sexual harassment and clear evidence that he had exploited his corporate position in pursuit of his illicit activities. Armed with this information, the firm terminated the employee.

 

Takeaways: Corporate legal and HR departments rarely have the resources to uncover and provide evidence of employee misconduct. Engaging a third party with investigative expertise ensures objectivity and a thorough search, both online and offline, of potentially damaging employee activities. Pre-emptive periodic audits can also prove to be a powerful deterrent to conduct that will tarnish a company’s reputation.