Training Programs
Audits & Assessments
Regulatory MonitoringAug
20
Tip: Get cooperation from employees and staff during an internal investigation
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An internal investigation obviously requires you to interview the subject of the complaint. However, in many cases other employees may have helpful information, too. However, staff members on the receiving end of an investigational interview may have the following concerns:
- Fear they have unknowingly done something wrong and will lose their job
- Concern they may implicate a coworker and be responsible if he/she loses his/her job.
- Fear of being viewed as being disloyal or a “rat” by other employees
- Concern about working with an accused employee who is later found not to have done anything wrong
- Concern about being sued by an accused employee for defamation
Each of these concerns stands in the way of obtaining information you need. However, it is the employee’s duty to the organization to disclose and information he or she may have about potential noncompliance. Remind employees about this duty; explain that by assisting with the investigation, they are doing the right thing, for the right reasons.
Don’t be afraid to directly attack the notion of someone being a “rat.” Describe how the organization investigates matters, not due to someone’s personal vendetta, but to protect the integrity of the company, its employees, and its patients.
Explain the organization’s duty to its patients by ensuring that employees act with integrity. By helping with the investigation, the employee helps to protect the organization and its patients.
This tip was adapted from the Internal Investigations Handbook. For more information about the book or to order your copy, click here.
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