Investigating an Employee

You must conduct an investigation fairly. Follow procedures that create fairness. California law emphasizes that an employer’s findings from an investigation do not necessarily need to be correct if the employer followed a fair procedure to come to that result.

In King v. United Parcel Service, Inc., an employee who had recently returned from medical leave was terminated for a violation of organization policy, falsifying a timecard. The employee sued for wrongful termination. The employer investigated the employee’s alleged violation and found that it had occurred.¹

King sued UPS, claiming he was fired because he is disabled and that the reason UPS gave