Internal threats are as damaging as external threats.

The consequences of an internal threat can be devastating to a company. Our internal investigations team will quickly put an end to the uncertainty and protect your company’s reputation.

Let's Talk

Don't Risk a Lawsuit

When an enterprise's business and brand are at risk as a result of wrongdoing, companies and boards turn to the Chesley Brown Group for expert guidance. Our team of experienced investigators help our clients navigate complex internal investigations so they can take informed, strategic steps to manage crises, avoid full-scale regulatory actions, and limit legal and reputational exposure.

Internal threats can be as damaging as external threats. These threats can take on many different forms, including corporate misconduct, accounting fraud, theft of company property, theft or manipulation of data and/or intellectual property, employee dishonesty, forgery, embezzlement, threats, or sexual harassment and other types of inappropriate behavior or communication.

The internal investigation process can be managed by the employer's management team, HR team, outside counsel, or an independent expert. Typically, an investigation of this type will be conducted when there are indications that fraud, criminal activity, or a potential regulatory action threatens the organization.

The types of allegations that typically lead to an internal investigation are

Sexual harassment
Physical violence
Breach of confidence
Workplace discrimination
Whistleblower claims

Internal investigations are a key element for many professional practices. These include law firms, financial institutions, and public accounting firms. They are also an important tool for government agencies and government contractors with federal compliance mandates.

By using a variety of investigation techniques and best practices an expert can build a comprehensive investigation plan that addresses your organization's concerns in a thoughtful and strategic way. Internal employee-related investigations serve a number of purposes. Ultimately though, internal investigations are a means of protecting the organization from unlawful conduct on the part of its employees or shareholders. In all of these investigations, the purpose is to uncover the truth. Therefore, any investigation findings should rely on data and facts as their primary sources.

When an investigative report is completed, the investigators often present their findings to the company with recommendations for remedial action. Successful investigations serve a number of purposes, including:

Uncovering a crime or wrongdoing
Protecting the organization from unlawful conduct on the part of its employees

Taking remedial measures to prevent an unlawful act from occurring
Solving Ethical Issues
Exposing the truth

Let's Talk

Conducting Fast, Defensible Internal Investigations

When it comes to conducting a fast and defensible internal investigation, there are a few things you can do to make sure things go smoothly. The first is to remember that the investigation is a search for the truth, not a search for a scapegoat or a defendant. As such, the main goal of the investigation should be to find out what went wrong and how to prevent future incidences from happening. It is also important to determine the severity of the offense. In less severe cases, it may be more appropriate to settle with the employee than fire them.

At all costs, the investigation should be speedy, but thorough. If the offender is to be terminated, it is important that the investigation has uncovered all possible grounds for dismissal. This includes any evidence of criminal activity.

A good investigator knows how to gather information quickly without compromising quality. A great investigator understands that speed does not mean sloppy work. Speed is achieved through proper planning and preparation. Proper planning ensures that the investigator gathers enough relevant information to complete their task within the time allotted. Preparation involves gathering everything needed before beginning the investigation.

For example, this might involve collecting documents, interviewing witnesses, reviewing emails, etc. Once the investigator begins the actual investigation, they must remain focused and avoid distractions. They need to stay organized so as to ensure that they collect all pertinent information in one place at one time. Finally, once the investigation is over, the investigator must write up his notes and conclusions in a clear manner.

Let's Talk

Testimonials

Once the decision was made to renovate the entire property's electric security system, Chesley Brown began developing specifications and identifying prospective bidders. After this was accomplished, Chesley Brown was with us to manage the bid process, award the bid and oversee the installation of the new system.

General Manager

Office Complex, Georgia

Our unique property required a firm that tould customize a security management program that addressed our property's individuality. Chesley Brown was the only firm that had the flexibility and experience to make it happen.

General Managed

Regional Shopping City, Missouri

Expert Risk Analysis

By working directly with your stakeholders, law enforcement, cybersecurity professionals and industry experts our risk analysis team can determine the likelihood of any particular threat, prioritize action plans, recommend appropriate security measures implement solutions, and when necessary, conduct penetration testing to ensure resiliency. Data and facts should be your be your source of truth when implementing or improving new security systems or frameworks, that's why we've made it so easy to get started. Here's how:

01

Schedule a Strategy Call

Our first job is to gather as much information as possible about your organization's unique challenges and concerns.

02

Create a plan

After studying the problem, our team of experts will get to work crafting a bespoke strategy that protects all aspects of your business, and enables continued growth.

03

Let’s execute that plan together

We’ll work directly with you and your stakeholders to implement and manage your new strategy, helping you navigate any pitfalls along the way.

What are you waiting for?

Let's Talk!

Let's Talk

Why Clients Choose Chesley Brown

Chesley Brown is an industry leader in providing Security Risk Management and security consulting services. Importantly, only Chesley Brown has the capabilities to offer:

• A Single Point of Contact – we make your job easier via streamlined coordination and reporting
• Our Global Resources – allowing us to provide consistently reliable security management services at any or all of your locations around the world
• Agility – our range of service options allows us to act quickly and decisively to address any issues or threats that may present themselves over the lifetime of your business.

In addition to over 100 years of collective experience, all Chesley Brown officers and directors are supported by cutting-edge technology to assist in making their recommendations timely and effective.

Let's Talk

Internal Investigations: The Risks and Benefits

An Internal investigation can be beneficial to an organization for any number of reasons. Some of the most common reasons are to identify the root cause of an inefficient process, figure out who's responsible for a mistake, identify if someone is stealing company resources or time, and to review company policies. There are also times when an Internal investigation is necessary to protect the company from any legal consequences - also known as self-policing.

The first concern an organization may have when deciding to conduct an internal investigation is the risk of a leak. When an individual, the media, or the government receives information from an internal investigation, it can be damaging to the company's brand. The reason for this is because those who are not involved in the investigation may decide to take their business elsewhere as a result of the findings.

Another risk is that a poorly-conducted investigation can lead to a so-called witch hunt, where people are investigated for any perceived wrongdoing generating a lot of anxiety, bad feelings, and sometimes even false accusations. This often leads to long-term consequences for the company’s workplace culture by generating ill feelings, distrust, and anger which can result in retaliation or resignations.

In order to help reduce this risk, working with seasoned experts who not only understand investigations, but who understand the intricacies of running a business can save a lot of time and worry. Organizations should establish strict guidelines governing what can be said and who can be interviewed by those conducting the investigation. Non-disclosure agreements are an absolute must when working with 3rd parties, and should be signed prior to any engagement. Establishing a clear chain of command and chain of custody for the investigative report once it is delivered will also help streamline any remediation process and reduce the likelihood of leaks.

Often times an internal investigation is an organization's last option. Protecting the company's future while not completely upending the company's culture can be a difficult balancing act. However, when done properly an internal investigation will allow a company to better understand what happened following an incident and identify the best strategies for preventing future problems. If a company makes a commitment to conducting investigations when evidence of misconduct is found, they are less likely to face lawsuits or experience unexpected losses due to theft or fraud.

Simply put, if your business has been affected by an internal threat, you can’t afford to ignore the problem. Internal threats affect every business, of every size. Without proper safeguards your company could be the next news headline. Our investigative experts are here to help ensure that never happens. For over 30 years we've helped some of the most recognizable brands in the world protect their most vital assets. Never lose another night's sleep worrying "what-if." Our experts will help you anticipate and a navigate risk before it becomes a crisis, so you can focus on your business. Click below to learn more about our internal investigation services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Our corporate partners often have lots of questions. We have gathered the most common ones together with responses directly from our team of experts. If you have ever wondered whether your company or organization needs a corporate investigator, this will hopefully help you find the answers you need.

Why do companies hire corporate investigators?

Corporate investigators can uncover facts about any specific problems your company has through interviews, interrogation, and data analysis; identify facts and corroborate complaints within a written report with the facts surrounding the situation, equip you with options to deal with the offending employees, or bad actors and provide guidance on how to improve business operations to avoid recurrence.

What are the most common problems that companies have with employees?

Personal problems of employees such as substance abuse or gambling, inner-office relationships, complaints of racism or sexual harassment, intellectual property theft, disruptive divorce proceedings, moonlighting, criminal charges, conflicts of interest, personal use of corporate resources, excessive sick time, workman's comp or fraud are generally the most common issues we see.

How can employees be questioned without risking or disclosing of the investigation?

Conducting effective witness interviews can be one of the most demanding steps in an internal corporate investigation. At Chesley Brown we rely on the investigative experience of our prosecutors and former federal agents to develop investigative strategies based on the specific facts and circumstances involved in each investigation we handle.

What if an investigation shows evidence of employee misconduct?

If an internal investigation of the company shows evidence of employee misconduct, generally this means that several actions will be taken immediately. Depending on the specific misconduct in question, this could include any combination of the following:

Update company policies and procedures
Taking corrective action internally
The discipline of the employee (or employees) involved
Self-disclosing the issue to the appropriate federal authorities.

How should companies deal with federal regulators when investigations discover corporate wrongdoing?

How a company deals with federal regulators requires a measured, strategic, and forward-thinking approach. If the wrongdoing triggers an obligated self-disclosure, federal authorities are already investigating your company's business or registration practices, or there's a chance that a federal investigation can happen soon, the risk management team of the company will need to make informed decisions and engage an external adviser to chart a course of action that mitigates the risk of civil or criminal penalties or reduces exposure.

Additional Resources:

Risk Takers Podcast Series Episode 1 - Aldrich Ames Spy Case
https://chesleybrown.com/the-risk-takers-podcast-series-launches-today/

Risk Takers Podcast Series Episode 1 - Surveillance Detection Routes (SDRs)
https://chesleybrown.com/the-risk-takers-podcast-series-launches-today/

Safe Passage / Safe Travel
https://chesleybrown.com/corporate-investigation-services/safe-passagetravel/

Internal threats are as damaging as external threats.

Don't Risk a Lawsuit

Conducting Fast, Defensible Internal Investigations

Testimonials

General Manager

General Managed

Expert Risk Analysis

01

Schedule a Strategy Call

02

Create a plan

03

Let’s execute that plan together

What are you waiting for?

Why Clients Choose Chesley Brown

Internal Investigations: The Risks and Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why do companies hire corporate investigators?

What are the most common problems that companies have with employees?

How can employees be questioned without risking or disclosing of the investigation?

What if an investigation shows evidence of employee misconduct?

How should companies deal with federal regulators when investigations discover corporate wrongdoing?

Additional Resources:

Additional Chesley Brown Solutions

Don't let risk put a chill on your company's future.