Workplace Investigations

I recently assisted a client in responding to a serious workplace violence incident involving a threat with a firearm made against an employee. Situations like this are among the most stressful an employer can face. They require not only immediate action to protect employees but also careful compliance with California’s Workplace Violence Prevention law.

Here are key steps that employers should take when faced with workplace violence, drawn from my recent experience and prior cases I have handled.

Uber Technologies, Inc. recently made big headlines after it hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate sexual harassment allegations by a former employee at the ride-hailing service. The employee claims that during her year working as an engineer at Uber, she and other female staffers reported multiple instances of sexual harassment to the company’s human resources department, to no avail. Uber’s response to the allegations provides some valuable lessons for employers …