Workplace Investigations

Contributing Editors


Workplace investigations are growing in number, size and complexity. Employers are under greater scrutiny as of the importance of ESG rises. Regulated industries such as finance, healthcare and legal face additional hurdles, but public scrutiny of businesses and how they treat their people across the board has never been higher. Conducting a fair and thorough workplace investigation is therefore critical to the optimal operation, governance and legal exposure of every business.

IEL’s Guide to Workplace Investigations examines key issues that organisations need to consider as they initiate, conduct and conclude investigations in 29 major jurisdictions around the world.  

Learn more about the response taken in specific countries or build your own report to compare approaches taken around the world.

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17. What other support can employees involved in the investigation be given?

17. What other support can employees involved in the investigation be given?

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China

  • at Jingtian & Gongcheng
  • at Jingtian & Gongcheng
  • at Jingtian & Gongcheng
  • at Jingtian & Gongcheng

The relevant laws and regulations in the PRC have not made explicit requirements regarding the supports received by the employee involved in the investigation. In practice, the employer will usually prepare an internal time schedule before carrying out the investigation. Although the detailed time schedule will not be disclosed to the employee, the employer will usually inform the employee of each investigation in advance. In order to improve the transparency of the investigation, we recommend that employer should make positive and proper responses to employee who enquires about the progress of the investigation, so as to avoid employee's suspicion.

In addition, the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC stipulates the rights of individuals in the process of personal information processing. In the scenario of internal investigation of an employer, the investigated party may, in accordance with such provisions, ask the employer for the right to review and even copy the personal information collected. Where the employee finds that the personal information collected by internal investigation is inaccurate or incomplete, he/she is entitled to request for correction or supplementation.

Last updated on 29/11/2023

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Switzerland

  • at Bär & Karrer
  • at Bär & Karrer

The employer does not generally need to provide specific support for employees that are subject to an internal investigation. The employer may, however, allow concerned employees to be accompanied by a trusted third party such as family members or friends.[1] These third parties will need to sign separate non-disclosure agreements before being involved in the internal investigation.

In addition, a company may appoint a so-called lawyer of confidence who has been approved by the employer and is thus subject to professional secrecy. This lawyer will not be involved in the internal investigation but may look after the concerned employees and give them confidential advice as well as inform them about their rights and obligations arising from the employment relationship.[2]

 

[1] Roger Rudolph, Interne Untersuchungen: Spannungsfelder aus arbeitsrechtlicher Sicht, SJZ 114/2018, p. 390.

[2] David Rosenthal et al., Praxishandbuch für interne Untersuchungen und eDiscovery, Release 1.01, Zürich/Bern, 2021, p. 133.

Last updated on 15/09/2022